Wed, Jan. 09, 2008
By MITCH MITCHELL
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH -- A Tarrant County jury found a San Antonio activist guilty Tuesday of possessing a fake bomb but found her not guilty of other charges associated with the 2002 case.
CORRECTIONS
Star-Telegram
(The Tarrant County district attorney's office dismissed a charge of planting a fake bomb against Janet Ahmad; she was convicted of possessing a hoax bomb. Also, the total cost of cleaning up the former naval bombing range in south Arlington was $2.6 million. The status of the charge and cost of the remediation were incorrect in the article in Wednesday's edition.)
Janet Ahmad, founder and president of HomeOwners for Better Building, was accused of possessing a fake bomb in a vacant lot at South Ridge Hills addition in south Arlington and of making a false bomb call to police in January 2002.
Ahmad was accused of calling 911 to report that a bomb had been found in the 7500 block of Cresswell Drive
during a tour of the area. She was in North Texas to speak about homeowners' fears concerning revelations that KB Homes built the subdivision on a Navy bombing practice site that was active during the 1940s and 1950s.The jury found Ahmad not guilty of filing a false report and not guilty of possessing a fake bomb. Ahmad, 65, was sentenced to one year's probation and ordered to pay a $4,000 fine.
"I don't understand the jury," Ahmad said. "I guess the jury believed what the people for KB said. But maybe this verdict will expose what KB does to homeowners."
Ahmad's attorney, Mark Daniel, filed a notice of appeal Tuesday. Her sentence will be placed on hold until the appeals process is completed, Daniel said.
"We're deeply disappointed," Daniel said. "We'll appeal, and we believe we'll have a favorable resolution from that appeal. The only thing that's a hoax is this verdict."
Steven Gebhardt, a Tarrant County assistant district attorney, said that he is satisfied with the verdict and that not being able to present some evidence to the jury did not hurt his case.
The fake bomb could not be used as evidence because it was checked out of the evidence room and not returned, Gebhardt said. Also, the tape of the 911 call was not preserved because of the age of the case, Gebhardt said.
Testimony from two witnesses that Ahmad planted the bomb and called 911 was enough, Gebhardt said. "This was the right verdict," he said. "She is the president of a nonprofit, and I think the whole thing was just a publicity stunt."
Ahmad, whose organization helps residents fight builders when they find construction defects and other problems in their homes and subdivisions, contends that KB Homes targeted her for retaliation because she has been a thorn in the side of Texas home builders.
Ahmad has fought with home builders over construction quality since the 1970s and has lobbied on behalf of consumers at the Texas Capitol. She is named in a $20 million lawsuit brought by KB Homes, Daniel said.
She originally faced two felony counts of tampering with evidence in the case. Those charges were dropped in May 2004 before prosecutors brought the case back as a misdemeanor.
In 2004 and 2005, the Army Corps of Engineers spent more than $2.6 million to remove more than 100 unexploded practice bombs buried near Matlock and Harris roads.
This story includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.
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