Parker County: District makes counselors available to students

06:32 AM CST on Tuesday, March 28, 2006

From Staff Reports

Grief counselors were on hand Monday to talk to students and faculty members at Peaster High School in Parker County as they learned that their principal, Darrell Mark Burress, had died over the weekend.

"We have eight to nine grief counselors standing by for anyone who needs those services," Superintendent Philip Bledsoe said.

Mr. Burress, 48, died on Interstate 30 early Saturday when he was struck by a vehicle as he stood watching a tow truck load his disabled Chevrolet Tahoe in Arlington. His wife, Elaine, and two children had been moved to a safer area and were not injured.

Arlington police arrested Fort Worth resident Phillip Gracia, 44, and charged him with intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault. He was released Saturday evening on $100,000 bail.

Mr. Gracia was arrested in Arlington in May 2001 for driving while intoxicated, police said.

Mr. Burress, a father of six, was killed, and two Arlington police officers were injured when a Jeep Grand Cherokee came barreling onto the shoulder.

Officer Leticia Brooks was taken to Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital, where police said she remained in serious condition Monday, unconscious and recovering from internal injuries. Family members said the officer's injuries are not believed to be life-threatening but probably will mean a long recovery.

Officer Michael Leonesio was treated and released.

A memorial scholarship fund for Mr. Burress' children has been set up at Peaster Independent School District, P.O. Box 129, Peaster, Texas 76485.