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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Melissa Hightower of Liberty Hill has been named the |
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| 6 | 7 | | 2014 Chuck Dennis Investigator of the Year by the Texas District and |
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| 7 | 8 | | County Attorneys Association; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, A native of Indiana, Melissa Hightower knew she |
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| 9 | 10 | | wanted to go into law enforcement since she was in high school; she |
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| 10 | 11 | | studied psychobiology and economics at Centre College in Danville, |
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| 11 | 12 | | Kentucky, and advanced through the ranks at the Opryland theme park |
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| 12 | 13 | | in Nashville to become a uniformed security officer; she later |
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| 13 | 14 | | moved to the Lone Star State to take a position at Fiesta Texas in |
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| 14 | 15 | | San Antonio, serving as a member of the security team and as the |
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| 15 | 16 | | theme park's state police liaison on criminal investigations; and |
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| 16 | 17 | | WHEREAS, Dedicated to realizing her career goals, |
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| 17 | 18 | | Ms. Hightower put herself through the police academy at San Antonio |
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| 18 | 19 | | College and became a peace officer with the Northside Independent |
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| 19 | 20 | | School District; she later received an offer of employment from the |
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| 20 | 21 | | Bexar County District Attorney's Office, where she was assigned a |
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| 21 | 22 | | high-profile capital murder case; in 1998, she was hired as an |
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| 22 | 23 | | investigator in the Williamson County Attorney's Office, and as a |
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| 23 | 24 | | result of tireless devotion to the job, she was promoted to chief |
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| 24 | 25 | | investigator in 2013; and |
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| 25 | 26 | | WHEREAS, Ms. Hightower is a longtime member of the Texas |
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| 26 | 27 | | District and County Attorneys Association; she has twice acted as |
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| 27 | 28 | | chair of the investigators section board, and she coauthored a |
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| 28 | 29 | | TDCAA training manual called Case Preparation for Investigators; |
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| 29 | 30 | | the association previously honored her with the Oscar Sherell Award |
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| 30 | 31 | | in 2006; and |
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| 31 | 32 | | WHEREAS, Through her expertise, compassion, and outstanding |
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| 32 | 33 | | work ethic, Melissa Hightower has set a remarkable example of |
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| 33 | 34 | | leadership to which others may aspire, and it is indeed a pleasure |
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| 34 | 35 | | to recognize her many professional achievements; now, therefore, be |
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| 35 | 36 | | it |
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| 36 | 37 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 37 | 38 | | Legislature hereby congratulate Melissa Hightower on her receipt of |
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| 38 | 39 | | the 2014 Chuck Dennis Investigator of the Year Award and extend to |
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| 39 | 40 | | her sincere best wishes for continued success and happiness; and, |
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| 40 | 41 | | be it further |
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| 41 | 42 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 42 | 43 | | prepared for Melissa Hightower as an expression of high regard by |
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| 43 | 44 | | the Texas House of Representatives. |
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