Page 01c - The Seabreeze News

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The
November 7, 2013
The voice of the beautiful bayside communities
www.seabreezenews.com PH: 281.235.8885
San Leon – Where the good life gets better every day!
Serving: San Leon, Bacliff, Bayview, Dickinson, Texas City, Kemah, League City, Seabrook & Clear Lake Shores
A Tale Of Two Citizens
Bayside
BRIEFS:
Coyotes Invading Kemah
Little “Oreo” a black and white terrier was walking around in
his backyard on Delesandri Street in Kemah when he was
snatched up into the jaws of a coyote. This was not a cartoon
character Wylie Coyote but a deadly efficient killing machine.
Neighbors witnessed this awful scene. One neighbor was fixing
to pull into his driveway when he saw the coyote carrying the
screaming and kicking terrier down the street. He tried to catch
up with it in his car but the coyote jumped a ditch and ran out
into a field about 50 yards away. The coyote stopped and
dropped little Oreo and stood there and calmly proceeded to eat
the little dog alive.
The same family that lost little Oreo lost a little weenie-dog
named “Bentley” a few days earlier. They probably don’t need
to put out any more missing dog signs for him.
Coyote
photographed
on
Highway 146
near Kemah
recently
Coyotes are a part of Texas and have always been so. They are
normally a reclusive secretive family unit that blends in with
their surrounding environment. With all the urban construction
and subdivisions going up, there is simply not enough hunting
habitat remaining to support these deadly killers.
Now they are raiding the communities and neighborhoods going
into trash containers and dog food bowls though out the Kemah
area. Several people have seen them in their yards or crossing
the streets at night in front of their cars. But now, their hunting
habits are changing. Desperate times call for desperate measures even in the coyote world. They are now making daylight
raids in plain sight. These stealthy animals in small compact
packs can take down full grown deer, cattle, sheep, and have no
problem eating dogs and cats or even small children.
Throughout the Kemah area you can see missing dog and cat
notices on poles, fences, and bulletin boards. It could be that
Fluffy and Rover are not missing; they were simply invited to
the “dinner of no return.” You need to keep an eye on your
small children and your pets.
A coyote bitch dog can have up to eight pups with an average of
four survivors. A pack of coyotes with four females can raise
thirty-two coyote pups a year. The young alpha males at one
year old are driven away by the older alpha males to start their
own pack. In the urban areas the average pack are becoming
larger as the habitat and their hunting grounds become smaller.
While the habitat is shrinking the number of breeding coyotes is
growing. This is a disaster waiting to happen. I have spoken to
several predator hunters in the area. They said they would help
the City of Kemah by using their wounded animal calls to draw
in the coyotes and shoot them. The area they would mostly
likely concentrate to hunt them would be the brush land areas
around Highway 96.
Do not leave your trash cans out on the street for several days.
Wait until trash day to put it out. Pay attention when you are
walking your dogs and don’t leave small children outside alone
unsupervised. Last, but not least, this is Texas. Keep your damn
guns handy and loaded.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Page 03
Page 06
Page 07
Page 09
Page 13
Page 14
Page 18
Letters To The Editor
Dear Steve From Sunny San Leon
Funny Bones
Fishing reports & pictures
News & Views
Classified ads
Police Blotter
Something good on every page!
As it says at the beginning of Charles Dickens’ classic novel, “It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times.”
For Blue Shields, it was the worst of times.
Hurricane Ike had just hit the communities around Galveston Bay. Many people without flood insurance were simply out of
luck. Many of those covered by Texas Windstorm policies were being short-changed on settlements. Even those who could
afford to repair their homes were having a difficult time getting building permits issued.
Although he is quite talkative about many things, Shields doesn’t prefer to talk much about himself. However, it is a fact that
in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, Blu Shields was overwhelmed with a desire to pitch in and help.
He and his company worked tireless hours, did work at or below cost, and did lots of free work for needy people.
He admits in an embarrassed kind of way that he went through about $1 million. How did that happen?
“Well, one thing just led to another, and I’m a lot of things, but I’m not a quitter,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, less than one mile away….
For Matthew Wiggins, it was the best of times.
Hurricane Ike had just hit the communities around Galveston Bay.
Many people without flood insurance were simply out of luck. Many
of those covered by Texas Windstorm policies were being shortchanged on settlements. Even those who could afford to repair their
homes were having a difficult time getting building permits issued.
You see, Wiggins was looking to pick up some sweet deals in the real
estate market in Kemah, particularly on properties which had been
damaged by the storm. According to documents, court testimony, and
witnesses, Wiggins allegedly devised a scheme to obtain properties by
using his position as mayor to prevent property owners from getting
permits. According to witnesses, he then directed the City of Kemah to
threaten property owners with fines and demolition. Then he slipped in
and bought these properties at a fraction of their market value, in many
cases using proxies to do so.
Here are some of the properties which were involved:
Texas Devils will appear at the USMC Birthday Party at the
Claudio’s Piano Bar (now known as Amadeus): Was initially classiSan Leon American Legion this month. Details inside.
fied as over 50% damaged and permit denied, but was later repaired
with no required upgrades after Wiggins took over from Claudio, who had been leasing the property from Wiggins.
20 West 8th Street: Was initially classified as over 50% damaged, and repair permit denied, but was later repaired with no
required upgrades after Matt Wiggins traded a different house in League City to the Lara family.
30 West 8th Street: Owners were told by the city that home was over 50% damaged, so sold to Wiggins for the land value.
40 & 60 West 8th Street: Both homes were torn down after the city declared them over 50% damaged. According to
FEMA, these homes were not over 50% damaged and could have been repaired.
701 Bay (The Captains Quarters): Property was owned by Amelia Kelley. Wiggins reportedly bought the second mortgage, then, according to sources, squeezed her out using the same kind of ploy, and took over.
705 Bay: According to ABC-13, this property was deemed over 50% damaged, and the owners were threatened with huge
fines if they did not demolish it. This house was sold at a significant loss to Judge Mark Foster, Wiggins‘ former business
partner. Judge Foster says he did nothing wrong in obtaining this house, and he is probably correct. He was told by Wiggins
that the house was available, that it was a “sweet deal” and so he bought it. Some time later, FEMA determined that the
house was only 15% damaged, and that storm water had not even reached the first floor of the living space. The house was
no longer considered substantially damaged. It was not torn down, and Judge Foster resides there now.
The Swamp Shack (bar & grill): This transaction happened just like 705 Bay, with the same people involved and the same
result. It was repaired and rented after the previous owner sold at a tremendous loss. It is currently owned by Foster.
There are a number of other properties involved. We don’t have room in this issue to list all of them.
If the sworn testimony and documentation we have seen is all true, then two local men sprang into action in Kemah in the
wake of the hurricane. One of them went to work, helping people in need. The other took advantage of hardships suffered by
others – hardships he himself is accused of intentionally causing – to enrich himself.
It’s only natural that these two men would come into conflict.
As soon as he became aware of what was going on at City Hall, Shields started documenting what he feels was an illegal
pattern of obtaining property fraudulently, and under color of law. He bombarded the news media, and got the Seabreeze
involved, along with ABC-13 investigative journalist Wayne Dolcefino. He annoyed the city secretary with myriad requests
for documents. He was deposed by federal agents investigating the cases. It is noteworthy that while other media covered the
unfolding pattern of alleged deceit Shields brought to light, the Galveston Daily News has acted as if it never happened.
Even when Wiggins’ real estate agent admitted under oath that she signed Judge Mark Foster’s name to buy property in his
name (without his consent, Foster says), the Daily News didn’t see a story there.
Once the allegations started to come out, Wiggins filed lawsuits hoping to silence his critics. Did he sue Wayne Dolcefino?
Did he sue Channel 13? Did he sue the Disney Corporation, owners of Channel 13? No, no, and no. He sued the victims of
his real estate “deals” who dared to criticize him, for $1 million each. Lately, Wiggins has been busy losing all of those
frivolous lawsuits. He sued ten persons in all, including Shields. So far, he has lost every case which made it into court.
There is only one left, and since the facts are essentially the same, it seems likely he will lose that one as well.
In the defamation suit against Blu Shields, dismissed on October 17th, the jury found that Blu Shields had accused Wiggins
of “corrupt motives in the discharge of his public office or the commission of a crime.” However, they also found that none
of Shields’ accusations were defamatory - in essence declaring that they were all apparently true.
Last week, a lawsuit was filed in Galveston against Matt Wiggins by John Ray Melcher. Melcher owned the property which
is now called the Swamp Shack. Before Hurricane Ike, John Melcher operated a Harley and Jet Ski Rental there. After the
storm, he was denied permits and forced to sell at a loss. In his case, the buyer was Judge Mark Foster. Judge Foster has
never been shy about discussing what happened. He says Wiggins tricked him into using his name to buy the property.
“He took advantage of my friendship. My signature was forged. He deposited money into my bank account, and somehow
got the bank to authorize a wire transfer the same day, without anyone from the bank even contacting me. He later demanded
the property back from me.” Foster has also sued Wiggins.
One would think that Melcher would also be suing Foster, but the lawsuit filed last week does not name Judge Foster as a
defendant. The language is even conciliatory toward Judge Foster. The plaintiff and his attorney clearly seem to consider
Foster to be just another victim of Wiggins’ scheme.
The same may be true of City Inspector Jack Fryday, who was the instrument used to deny building permits.
In fact, there are a number of peripheral persons involved who may have been used by Wiggins to get what he wanted.
For his part, Matt Wiggins still doesn’t seem to believe that there is any ongoing Federal investigation.
Last month, Kemah Mayor Bob Cummings issued a press release stating that the FBI had descended on Kemah City Hall and
seized documents related to the properties involved, and specifically related to Wiggins’ tenure as mayor.
When he was contacted about the FBI visit, Wiggins apparently didn’t even believe it had happened. He said that there is no
FBI investigation, and that it was all political paybacks. Perhaps it was a group of Halloween pranksters dressed as G-men
who showed up at City Hall last month...
As we said in our last story about the Kemah Land Grab, this whole thing will play out in the lawsuits, and so far it looks
like Matt Wiggins is getting his ass handed to him.