The husband of a Texas realtor who disappeared two weeks ago is facing new felony charges while one of his business associates has been charged in her vanishing.
The San Antonio Current reported Brad Simpson, the husband of missing Olmos Park realtor Suzanne Clark Simpson, was charged by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office with tampering or fabricating with physical evidence and possession of a prohibited weapon. Brad Simpson arrested two days after his wife was reported missing on Oct. 7 and was charged with family violence and unlawful restraint – he is currently at the Bexar County Jail.
Also arrested was James Val Lee Cotter, a business associate of Brad Simpson, who was charged with tampering with evidence with intent to hinder an investigation. Authorities claimed Cotter tried to hide an AK-47 assault rifle belonging to Brad Simpson behind a wall-mounted television at his home.
Suzanne Clark Simpson was last seen on the night of Oct. 6 when a neighbor witnessed an argument between the realtor and her husband in front of their $1.4 million mansion. Multiple law enforcement agencies have been searching for her, and earlier today the Texas Department of Public Safety discontinued an earlier alert warning that Suzanne Clark Simpson could be facing imminent danger.
Photo of Suzanne Clark Simpson courtesy of Olmos Park Police
When doesn’t something like this result in the spouse being charged with murder?
Not trying to nitpick Phil but Realtor usually begins with a capital R. Enjoy reading your articles.
Hi Johnny! As per our editorial policy, we do not capitalize the name of a profession.
Because “Realtor” is a registered trademark, that’s why it’s always capitalized — similar to brand names like Nike or Apple. The profession (real estate agent or real estate broker) is what is not capitalized.
Real estate sales agents, brokers, and various associated jobs could be
considered professions. A”Realtor” is a
member of a board of “Realtors”. That is a generic name for a
person affiliated with their group. Not all real estate people
are members of a Realtor organization. Many independent residential
and commercial brokers do not belong to a Realtor organization.
It’s sort of like a fraternity for real estate professionals.
They also offer several functions for the real estate community such as
training, and multiple listing services for listings. A “Realtor” is not
a profession, it’s an affiliation. A real estate broker is a profession. There are also other persons who can be a member of a Realtor organization such as inspectors, appraisers, insurance adjusters, etc. You don’t have to have a real estate license to belong to their organization, you just have to pay the dues.
REALTOR(R) is actually a trademark term for professionals in the real estate industry (obviously), and when used with upper and lower case letters, should have a capital “R”.
Vickie Karp, REALTOR(R) for over 40 years in Austin, Texas
Thanks, Greg Lacy, Real Estate Broker and also Realtor
Regardless of capital R or not for “Realtor”, I pray for the safety of Suzanne Clark Simpson.
I am embarrassed beyond belief. We have a missing real estate agent who I pray is still alive, and we, as fellow real estate agents, are worried that the R needs to be capitalized in the name of an organization. I can only hope that her family doesn’t read your post. I also pray that Suzanne is found alive and God sends his angels to comfort her family.
Mark, I totally agree with you. For gosh sakes this poor lady is missing and I pray as you do that she is still alive. What the heck does it matter about Realtor, who cares !!! This shows the mentality of some people.
“Exactly, Dovie. My heart goes out to this woman and her family, and I join you in praying that she’s found safe and sound. It’s hard to understand why some people choose to focus on such trivial things in times like these. What matters is bringing her home, not getting caught up in details that don’t help anyone.”
This is not the place to worry about punctuation. A Realtor is missing. Let’s hope she is okay.