Crime news

Allegations of sexual abuse surface at University Park United Methodist Church

James Truman Ackley, a 25-year-old youth leader at University Park United Methodist Church, has been charged with sexual abuse of a child and online solicitation of a minor.

According to a January 16 arrest warrant, Ackley was having a sexual relationship with female in his charge at the church who is under the age of 17. The two also exchanged texts and phone calls.

The girl's father noticed she had received a number of texts "during the night time hours" from an unknown number. The girl told her father that the sender was Ackley.

The arrest warrant states that while the father and daughter discussed the matter, an image of a white male, presumed to be Ackley, holding an erect penis appeared on the young girl's phone.

When interviewed by police, the girl said she had been in a "boyfriend/girlfriend" relationship with Ackley since a youth retreat in August 2012. In addition to exchanging explicit photos and text messages, the two have reportedly engaged in sexual activities.

In the arrest warrant, Ackley's employer was identified as Bishop Lynch High School. However, he does not appear in the school's online directory. When reached by phone on Tuesday, a school official said Ackley was a volunteer with the choir.

University Park Police Capt. Leon Holman said that Ackley was arrested and is now out on bond.

University Park United Methodist Church operates several programs for children, including a day school for ages 6 months through kindergarten. Ackley is not listed as a staff member on the church's website.

All volunteers and staff members who work with children are subject to a criminal background check and agree to the terms of a 17-page policy manual entitled "Safe Sanctuaries." The manual delineates different kinds of abuses, including verbal, physical and sexual.

In a January 16 email alerting congregants of the allegations, church staff promised cooperation with police efforts.

In the investigation going forward, we will assist those authorities in any way we can. We will also continue to take action to protect the children and youth of our church family by providing them a safe and secure environment.

On Tuesday, the church's website included information about helping children "cope with hurt and crisis."

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Unhappy holidays

Porch pirates pilfer nearly $2B worth of Texas packages, study shows

Porch Pirate Person in Glasses Steals Packages

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’Tis the season for porch pirates. If past trends are an indicator, the Grinch will swipe close to $2 billion worth of packages delivered to Texas households this year, with many of those thefts happening ahead of the holiday season.

An analysis of FBI and survey data by ecommerce marketing company Omnisend shows porch pirates stole more than $1.8 billion worth of packages from Texans’ porches last year. Porch pirates hit nearly one-third of the state’s households in 2024, according to the analysis.

Omnisend’s analysis reveals these statistics about porch piracy in Texas:

30.1 million residential package thefts in 2024.
An average household loss of $169 per year.
An annual average of 2.9 package thefts per household.

“Most stolen items are cheap on their own, but add them up, and retailers and consumers are facing an enormous bill,” says Omnisend.

Another data analysis, this one from The Action Network sports betting platform, unwraps different figures regarding porch piracy in Texas.

The platform’s 2025 Porch Pirate Index ranks Texas as the state with the highest volume of residential thefts, based on 2023-24 FBI data.

Researchers at The Action Network uncovered 26,293 reports of personal property thefts at Texas residences during that period. The network’s survey data indicates 5 percent of Texas residents had a package stolen in the three months before the pre-holiday survey.

The Porch Pirate Index calculates a 25.8 percent risk of a Texas household being victimized by porch pirates, putting it in the No. 5 spot among states with the highest risk of porch piracy.

The Action Network included online-search volume for terms like “package stolen” and “porch pirates.” Sustained spikes in these searches suggest that “people are actively looking for guidance after something has happened. Search trends serve as an early warning system, revealing emerging-risk areas well before annual crime statistics are released,” the network says.

Tips to avoid being a victim
So, how do you prevent porch pirates from snatching packages that end up on your porch? Omnisend, The Action Network and Amazon offer these eight tips:

Closely monitor deliveries and quickly retrieve packages.
Schedule deliveries for times when you’ll be home.
Use delivery lockers or in-store pickup when possible.
Ask delivery services to hide packages in out-of-sight spots outside your home.
Install a visible doorbell camera or security camera.
Coordinate deliveries with neighbors or building managers if you’ll be away from your home when packages are supposed to arrive.
Request that delivery services hold your packages if you can’t be home when they’re scheduled to come.
Illuminate the path to your doorstep and keep porch lights on.

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