Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Clifton mother died amid family tensions with cops

811 Alpha Place, site of a total loss of a residence due to arson on Sept. 3
Meridian – The May 4 jailhouse death of April Troyn, 36, of 502 Avenue D, occurred after months of allegedly felonious family tensions with law enforcement.

As previously reported, she died under mysterious circumstances still under investigation by Texas Rangers following an arrest in the parking lot of a local supermarket where she and her best friend had gone shopping on May 2.
April Troyn Richardson


She was alone in a single cell after jailers released a fellow inmate at about 8 a.m., family and friends say they have learned. When jailers checked on her after lunch, she was “unresponsive,” according to official reports.

An official cause of death is as yet unannounced, according to Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Ray Ballman, who ordered a post-mortem exam at the Southwest Institute of Forensic Science at Dallas. “All of that is still under investigation,” he said.

Confidential sources say she allegedly hanged herself. “We don't believe that,” a close friend who has “known her all her life,” said.

The case unfolded over a period of 5 months following a December 16, 2012 incident when her five-year-old son reportedly asked employees of the Dairy Queen to feed him because he was hungry. He told Detective Darrin D. Glenn that his mother sent him there to eat after he told her was hungry.

According to an affidavit of probable cause filed with Precinct 2 Justice Court in this city, when Ms. Troyn was summoned, she told the officer she did not know her son was at the fast food restaurant.

The Court issued an arrest warrant on Feb. 19, 2013, and her arrest came two and one-half months later, according to the return of service on the warrant for Child Endangerment.

According to close friends, that case hinged on a collision in which she was driving whenthe vehicle hit a tree, rolled, and threw a son and her husband, a man named Richardson, out of the van, which crippled him after it landed on him. His body shielded that of the child, who came through relatively unscathed. The vehicle had no car seats, and seat belts were reportedly not in use.

But the run-ins with law enforcement were not peculiar to Ms. Troyn's family alone.

Her sister Hope Lane and Ms. Lane's husband Michael Green involved Bosque County Sheriff's Deputy Joe Brooks in a bizarre episode on the night their rental house at 811 Alpha Place burned to a total loss at 11:30 p.m. on September 3.

Police arrested the couple for arson amid bizarre circumstances.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case, Deputy Brooks detained Mr. Green on suspicion of intoxication as he walked alone at the corner of Avenue J and 3rd St. at 11:03 p.m.

Ms. Lane arrived in their car shortly, and the couple began to argue immediately, according to Deputy Brooks.

Mr. Green demanded to be taken to jail.

In later interviews, Lane states Green likes to go to jail when he is drunk,” Clifton Police Detective Darrin D. Glenn stated in the laconic prose style of the affidavit.

From there, the story meanders along an extremely peculiar route.
One of two adjacent homes that have burned recently

According to Deputy Brooks, “The renters who live there...both of which were not home and did not arrive on the scene while emergency personnel were there...” had been fighting that night, and later gave conflicting statements about what they were doing before, during and after the time when first responders battled the blaze at their home.

Video records made at the police station at 11:38 p.m. show Mr. Green approaching the door and knocking. Receiving no answer, he got back in the car. Ms. Lane then drove away.

As the home burned, the couple paid a visit to Santa Fe #3 filling station. According to a witness, Elizabeth Ramirez of 818 Alpha Place, the fire was reported at 11:47 p.m.

Lane states she went into the store to use the phone to call police because Green still wanted to go to jail.”

She was apparently very concerned about using her name in a conversation with dispatchers.

Another customer had no cell phone for her to use. She asked to use the phone that belongs to the store. She told Detective Glenn the clerk told her she could dial the phone and hang up, thus summoning the police to the station.
Watching the store's video shows that she never really dialed the entire number, only part of the numbers, and all the while, she was watching Mr. Green through the window for his reactions. Mr. Green eventually came inside, “using hand motions in what appeared to be trying to get Lane to hurry up and leave the store,” wrote Detective Glenn.

After they stood in the parking lot for about 25 minutes, they drove to Meridian to stay with Mr. Green's grandfather at 12:16 on September 4.

State Fire Marshals took two samples after a K9 unit alerted on them for accelerants. One tested positive for a grade of accelerant which includes charcoal lighter fluids and lamp oils.

In the interviews with Lane and Green, they both state they did not know their house burned until they checked messages on Green's cellphone the next morning from Lane's mother, Tina Pierce, and sister, April Richardson, stating their house burned down.”


Problem.

Lane states she received her mother's message about 2 am. on September 4 telling her their house burned down. Lane stated that her mother lies a lot and she did not believe her, so she went back to sleep.

Phone records for Green's cell phone indicate only incoming phone calls that went to voice mail between 6 p.m. September 3 to 11 a.m. September 4. No phone calls were placed from his phone or answered, only voice mails were checked, according to Lane. According to Lane that is the only phone they had...”

Ms. Lane failed to show up for a follow-up interview, and did not return phone calls, the affidavit shows.

Johnson County authorities arrested her on December 23.

In a chilling side detail, two other houses adjacent to the home authorities have accused Mr. Green and Ms. Lane of setting afire by sprinkling it with petroleum distillates have burned. 

Both residences back up to the side yard of 811 Alpha Place and
front on Avenue J between Alpha Place and W. 9th St.

14 comments:

  1. What a bunch of crap. The law enforcement lie in bosque county. Can't y'all tell. So was Mrs Troyn in jail for the wreck??? Or her 6 year old son walking two blocks to Dairy QUEEN? Two stories. Witch ones the lie. Either way she shouldn't have went to jail for either one. Most people just pay fines. On other hand y'all say Mr Green & Mrs Lane only had one cell phone. What about a land line? And I don't know about you but if I was up late arguing with my drunk spouse I would not have been up using the phone either. Plus if he was drunk at a store and the cops talked to him why didn't he get a PI? Cause the cops new the needed someone to blame. Thoes things don't mean the burned there Home down. They had nothing to gain. That's not even enough for a warrant. These cops need to be investigated for there wrong doings not that Family. Looks like fowl play in all of it. And there's much more. Y'all need to talk to that family and get the truth.

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  2. Law enforcement has been harassing that family long enough. I agree with others Get Nancy Grace involved. I heard she has already contacted one of the sisters.

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  3. Enough is enough that's good people. Never harmed anyone.

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  4. Ms.lane was at the er for a tooth ache with her kids and mother the night they lost there home. The following morning she cheeked her voicemail and heard the messages from her mother.she sister,brother un law and kids came to me.greens grandfather home and told them there house had burned. Ms lane asked her sister what to do she had never lost a home in a fire. She sister told her to call the pd and ask them. She call clifton pd and a lady answered and Ms lane stated my name is Hope Lane my sister told me my house burned down last night what do I do and who do I talk to. The lady stated call the fire chief and gave Ms lane his number. She called the fire chief and asked him what happened. He asked her if anything was left on. She couldn't remember if the AC was on or not. He told Ms lane it looked like an electrical fire and asked if she had insurance she said no nothing. Ms lane and Mr.green received a phone called from officer Glenn two days after the fire.he asked where they were at Mrs lane told him the church getting clothes to wear. Glenn and another cop arrived at the church and interrogated the couple with there 3 kids. Glenn asked them why they didn't contact the police when they heard about. Ms lane stated she did and spoke to the fire chief too. Officer Glenn said that she was lying. Glenn and another officer tried to get Ms lane to lie and say Mr green did it. Glenn also was trying to get statements from people that knew nothing about the fire to lie and was spreading rumors around Clifton that the couple burned there home. Why would a officer do this? Just because he can? Does he just hate the family and trying to run them out of town? Did they know each other before he became a cop.did his wife know them? What's the deal

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  5. Check April's facebook page. Days before her death she posted comments about killing herself. I guess cops did that to? And they stated arson dogs found oil bases or lighter fluid started it. A fire chief on seen can't detect that. That's why police investigate crimes. And as far as a car wreck with kids not seat belted or in car seats. That should be enough to know what kind of mother she was.

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  6. You can just shut the heck up. Aprils Facebook page says nothing to the sort. I don't know what Facebook page your looking at but hers is April Troyn (Separated) lived in Clifton,Texas. You may wanna look again before you run your mouth. And why you posting Anonymous? Yea that's what I thought. Coward.

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  7. The child that wasn't is seatbelts where 6 and 12. I'm sure she couldn't have much control as to them taking em off if she was in the driver seat and they were in the 3rd role of a van. Let me ask you something. Do u know of anyone else who's child had undone there seat belt? Does that make em a bad parent? Do they deserve to die? I know a JP located in Clifton. Texas who drives with his grandson with out restraint. Should he be in jail for it? Or even dead. Of course not. Now please just stop talking.

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  8. I'd heard the FBI is doing there own investigation. Does anyone else know if this is true? I'm not sure if the family has contacted Nancy Grace. But I did for them. Hope she can help

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  9. All three of those houses burnt. What needs to be looked at is ALL the owners are related. All tried to file insurance claims. All trying to blame something else. There's motive there. Where's there alibis?

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  10. There's no reason for that family to have burned down there rent house. All they had to gain was lost.

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  11. This is Mr green,
    I just wanna start off by saying that this is BS!!!
    I Am sick and tired of these false accusations against
    my family and I.My wife and I were arrested for arson
    which is totally false.This is the first time in my life I've
    ever been arrested for something I didn't do.my family and I
    lost everything we owned in that house fire,some things
    were totally irreplaceable. My wife and i were fighting that night
    but what couple don't?I used to drink a lot,I won't deny that and it
    caused us to fight alot, But never would i intentionally set fire to anything. My kids my wife and i lost everything we had.I wouldn't
    do that to anyone. do you know how it feels to wake up and have no clothes or shoes or a bed? We didn't have any insurance we were renting.we were at church getting clothes when officer glenn asked us questions and my wife signed a pyaper for a fire marshal to come in and test for the cause of the fire. Wehad nothing to gain.I have been in trouble with the law before.B ut it isn't right to judge me by my past.
    I'm not the same person i used to be,and even that person wouldn't
    do anything like that.
    They. say we tested positive for accelerants,but they never even
    tested us.I am so tired of the lies and false accusations against
    my family and i.We have all been through enough.

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  12. Amen. About time you set them straight. Now when is Clifton PD going to stop with there bull. And worried about finding out who did it. Have they even tried to find the real people who did it?

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  13. Sounds like Bosque county sheriff's office and JP 1 Ray Ballman have been busy. That a lot of stuff to cover up. Good luck. The truth will always find away to come out. One way or another. JP1 STEP DOWN!

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  14. I agree. Step down we don't need JPs in our offices like that. He should be ashamed of his self.

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