These stories impacted Wichita Falls in 2023

As we head into the new year, Times Record News is looking back one last time at the major stories that affected Wichitans in 2023.

After a backup in major trials due to COVID-19, 2023 saw numerous cases come to a conclusion. The one that garnered the most attention was undoubtedly the murder trial of James Staley, who was ultimately found guilty of killing the toddler son, Jason Wilder McDaniel, of his girlfriend at the time.

James Staley, Amber McDaniel trials

It was a long road to justice for 2-year-old Jason Wilder McDaniel in the eyes of the community following every development in the case since the child’s murder Oct. 11, 2018, in a Wichita Falls home.

Wilder’s killing pulled at the heartstrings and captured the attention of many far and wide and in Wichita Falls. The pandemic was among factors that slowed down the investigation into his death.

Two years after the child was killed, law enforcement officials announced the arrest of James Irven Staley III, an oilman whose family has a long history in Wichita Falls. The resolution of the case came in 2023.

Staley was convicted of capital murder of a person under 10 on March 13 at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center in Fort Worth.

A packed courtroom heard the guilty verdict and the judge pronounce a sentence of life without parole for Staley. Then deputies snapped the handcuffs on him and led him away. The Times Record News was there.

Our reporter covered the case in the courtroom with live blogs, among the most read of TRN’s online offerings with 34,318 page views. Stories in the print edition updated newspaper readers.

In addition, TRN followed up with a five-part series, "The Staley trial: Looking back, looking forward." The series gave readers a more nuanced look at the trial, provided information not disclosed before and looked at what might come next for cases connected to Wilder’s death.

Part 1 of the series, “DA on Staley: Connecting a psychopath's puzzle pieces for Wilder's murder” garnered more new subscriptions – 27 – than any other non-sports story published by TRN in 2023.

Staley has appealed his conviction, and that process is ongoing.

Charges against Wilder’s mother, Amber Nichole McDaniel, also reached a resolution in 2023. TRN closely covered events with blogs of her trial and stories.

Amber testified against Staley during his trial with no plea deal on the table. She later pleaded guilty to child endangerment and tampering with evidence, again with no agreement with the Wichita County District Attorney’s Office.

On Sept. 19, a jury at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice System reached a punishment verdict for Amber: two years in state jail for endangering Wilder by allowing him to be around Staley and five years of probation for tampering with evidence.

She deleted electronic messages between herself and Staley, her ex-boyfriend. Amber was formally sentenced Sept. 25 at the Wichita County Courthouse.

She opted not to appeal and is serving time in a state jail.

Sheriff Lyde sent to jail for official oppression charges

Over in Clay County, the area saw the conclusion of the law enforcement career of now-former sheriff Jeffery Lyde.

Lyde was found guilty of official oppression and tampering with evidence related to a situation in July 2021 in which a Clay County man was held illegally in the jail.

While serving his 30-day sentence in the Hardeman County Jail in Quanah, Lyde was released to a hospital after about a week due to "potentially life-threatening medical issues," according to Hardeman County Sheriff Pat Laughery.

Lyde complied with an order to turn himself back into jail Dec. 12. Lyde's lead defense attorney Bob Estrada found precedent that Lyde's time out due to the medical condition counted toward his total jail time, and Lyde got street credit for those four days.

As part of his punishment deal, Lyde had to voluntarily surrender his peace officer credentials.

Lyde faced other controversies in his time in office including claims of sexual harassment by some of his female employees.

Plans shape up, then break down for Lake Ringgold

Wichita Falls spent much of 2023 mired in a drought, reminding residents of the record drought of 2010-2015. After that drought, the city government resurrected plans to build a large reservoir in neighboring Clay County. Since the prospect of building Lake Ringgold resurfaced, landowners launched intense opposition to the lake, as they have since the idea was first conceived 75 years ago. Times Record News provided extensive and in-depth coverage of the quest for the lake and the opposition to it.

Key articles included a retrospective on efforts to construct the reservoir and the obstacles those plans have encountered. TRN also provided coverage of hearings before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in August and an in-depth analysis of the city’s plans if permission was obtained to build the lake.

TRN also broke the news when an administrative judge in Austin recommended denying the city’s request because of its failure to demonstrate a need for the water that would be impounded and subsequently reported on how an in-house email from the city manager weighed on the judge’s decision.

Also, TRN learned and reported that passage of a seemingly innocuous item on a City Council agenda would lead to the sale of a great quantity of water from one of the city’s existing reservoirs to two billionaires Jerry Jones and Stan Kroenke. Although the council ultimately approved the sale, the article spawned intense public interest and town hall meetings.

City View failure to report charges dropped due to expiration in statute of limitations

Times Record News provided continuous coverage of seven administrators at the City View Independent School District who were charged with failure to report child abuse as required by law. The allegations were first reported by TRN in 2022 when some former students went public with claims that a basketball coach had sexually abused students. The coach subsequently committed suicide.

The seven were charged after a police investigation concluded they failed to report the accusations, even though they were aware of them. Some of the administrators resigned in the wake of the charges.

TRN submitted multiple open records requests to the school district, the Texas Education Agency and attorneys to obtain information about the case. For at least one open records request, City View ISD took months to provide a final response.

TRN covered a judicial hearing where a district judge ruled the allegations against the administrators should be dropped because the statute of limitations had expired. TRN continues to cover a civil case filed by one of the former students.

Historic McGaha party mansion

On a lighter note, Wichita Falls residents and readers from all over the world learned about the former life of a now quiet residential neighborhood.

Nestled on what is now Midwestern Parkway was a well-known “party house” for the rich and famous.

At 100 Sarasue Lane, hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of guests would pack in for world-renown festivities. The likes of John Wayne, Lyndon B. Johnson, Van Cliburn and more came to let loose at the home of Charles Peevey McGaha. An oilman who joined the field during the 1920s oil boom, McGaha built the sprawling estate on 10 acres for what would be the equivalent of $1.3 million today. The 10,000 square-foot home was one of the largest, if not the largest oil baron mansion in the city.

After McGaha’s passing, the home stood empty for years with prospective buyers deeming the estate too expensive to rebuild. Eventually, developer John Hirschi bought it and the house we demolished in 1997. The area was turned into an enclave of stately homes clustered around a trickling creek, a far cry from the raucous cacophony of the mansion’s heyday.

More: A quiet Wichita Falls neighborhood was once party central for the rich and famous

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: These stories had the most impact in Wichita Falls in 2023