| The quiet farming community of Stephenville, | | | | Empire-Tribune. |
| Texas, became the subject of national news | | | | |
| broadcasts this week after UFO sightings were | | | | Based on reports called into the local |
| reported there by several dozen witnesses | | | | newspaper, UFOs have been seen in the |
| including a pilot and police officer. | | | | Stephenville area for about two weeks in |
| Stephenville, located about seventy miles | | | | various forms. Very little information about |
| southwest of Fort Worth, is where an object | | | | the sightings has been published and regional |
| measuring approximately a mile long and about | | | | UFO research organizations have been slow to |
| a half mile wide was spotted by locals last | | | | respond. Peter Davenport, head of the |
| week. Witnesses say that the craft made no | | | | National UFO reporting Center, made these |
| noise and was moving low and fast. | | | | statements about the Texas sightings on the |
| | | | syndicated Coast to Coast AM broadcast with |
| A few reports claim that the object with | | | | George Noory: |
| brightly lit lights on it was being pursued | | | | |
| by military jets, but federal officials deny | | | | "I have received but two reports, |
| that claim. Spokespersons for nearby Dyess | | | | George...but that's part of the reason that I |
| and Sheppard Air Force Bases say none of | | | | didn't devote more interest in this case at |
| their jets were involved and claim that the | | | | this time because when you get only two |
| Air Force no longer investigates UFOs. Major | | | | reports, even if they're good reports, ah, |
| Karl Lewis, a spokesperson for the 301st | | | | you sought of wait for follow on reports." |
| Fighter Wing at the Joint Reserve Base (Naval | | | | |
| Air Station) in Fort Worth, says there were | | | | Davenport has come under criticism for being |
| no F-16s or other military aircraft from his | | | | slow to report these and other major UFO |
| base involved. Lewis also said that what the | | | | sightings including the incident involving a |
| Stephenville witnesses say was probably an | | | | disc-shaped object over Chicago's O'Hare |
| optical illusion caused by lights from one or | | | | International Airport. In that case a Chicago |
| more commercial airliners. However, UFO | | | | Reporter claimed that Davenport tried to |
| witness Steve Allen disagrees. | | | | negotiate some sort of deal with him. In |
| | | | another case, Art Bell claimed that Davenport |
| Allen is the owner of a local freight hauling | | | | asked for financial remuneration in exchange |
| company, a private pilot and witness to the | | | | for being associated with Bell's broadcast. |
| event. He claims that what appeared in the | | | | |
| Stephenville skies was anything but a | | | | As a UFO researcher with many years of |
| conventional aircraft. Allen and others say | | | | experience, I have to wonder why Peter |
| the lights changed as they watched the mile | | | | Davenport would not list a raw report as |
| long object move across the sky. The huge | | | | quickly as possible when it involves such an |
| craft seen last week may not have been the | | | | important sighting. That's not to say that I |
| only strange thing seen over and near | | | | wouldn't make a few calls to town authorities |
| Stephenville. Ricky Sorrells lives in Dublin | | | | and speak directly to the witness before |
| and says that a flat, metallic object hovered | | | | publishing anything on the web, but just to |
| about three hundred feet above a pasture | | | | sit back and wait for more reports seems |
| behind his house. Ricky decided to come | | | | ludicrous and assumes that witnesses even |
| forward with his own story after reading | | | | know there is a National Reporting Center to |
| about other sightings in the Stephenville | | | | contact. |