Worm News

Latest species to invade Fort Worth is an icky super-long predatory worm

They get their name from their "hammer" head.

As if red ants and killer bees aren't bad enough, there's another invasive species in Texas that has slithered into Fort Worth: an extra-long worm — it can be nearly a foot long — disgusting on its own, but also predatory, in that it eats earthworms, which are essential to maintain healthy soil.

It's called a hammerhead flatworm, and The Texas Invasive Species Institute confirms that they're starting to be spotted in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Ashley Morgan-Olvera, the institute's director of research and outreach, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that they've received hundreds of reports of hammerhead flatworms in the past few weeks of heavy rain.

The species is more established in Southeast Texas, but is being spotted in Tarrant, Dallas, and Smith counties, and even as far north as Missouri.

They're called hammerhead worms because they have a flattened head that resembles the Hammerhead shark. Also known as hammerhead slugs, they're thought to be native to Southeast Asia, and accidentally introduced to North America during the early 1900s with the importation of plants.

They require humidity and can't survive in the desert, one good reason to move to the desert.

They're to be avoided: While preying on sweet gentle earthworms, the flatworms secrete a neurotoxin that is necessary for them to able to digest them — one that can irritate your skin and make your pets sick if eaten.

They also can transmit harmful parasites to humans and mammals, so you're advised to #1 not touch them with your bare hands; and #2 dispose of them properly, which means: place them in sealed bags with salt or vinegar and freeze them overnight (possibly a challenge if you're also not touching them).

Also: If you find one, report it to the Texas Invasive Species Institute, which has a page dedicated to the worm's habits, as well as a summary of the 800 or so other invasive species that have invaded Texas.

The Institute offers a warning: Do not cut the hammerhead worm in half or smash them into bits with your shovel in a psychotic fury. If you do, new heads will form within ten days, and you've created more hammerhead worms.

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Police News

Fort Worth police officer fired for unjustified use of force

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A Fort Worth police officer has been terminated following his involvement in a use of force incident. According to a release, Officer Matthew Krueger was let go on December 18, following an investigation into an incident involving someone who was videotaping his actions while he was on duty.

On Sunday, June 23, Fort Worth police officers responded to a hit-and-run collision near 1000 Foch St. The incident involved a suspected intoxicated driver who crashed into another vehicle and a structure before fleeing the scene on foot.

While officers were investigating, a woman approached them and used her cell phone to record their actions. Krueger asked and advised her multiple times to move across the street. When she failed to comply, she was placed under arrest.

During the arrest, Krueger used force to take the woman into custody, resulting in injuries that required medical care at an area hospital.

After being treated, the woman was released from the hospital, booked into jail, and charged with interference with public duties, resisting arrest and/or detention, evading arrest, and making a false alarm or report.

Krueger had been with the department for just under eight years and was assigned to the Patrol Bureau at the time of the incident.

The Fort Worth Police Major Case and Internal Affairs Units began immediate and congruent investigations. Krueger was transferred from Patrol to a unit with no public interaction, pending the outcome of the investigation.

After a review of the Internal Affairs investigation, Krueger’s chain of command determined that the level of force used was unjustified and violated departmental policy. Police Chief Neil Noakes concurred and terminated Krueger’s employment.

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