Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Dozens of people in the Texas town of Stephenville have reported seeing strange objects in the night sky last week, which many believe to be a UFO.

The eyewitnesses, who include a pilot, business owners, and the county constable, all claim to have seen a large, silent object with bright, flashing lights flying low and fast over the town. Some have even reported it being chased by fighter jets. People in other towns have given similar reports in past weeks.

“People wonder what in the world it is because this is the Bible Belt, and everyone is afraid it’s the end of times,” said Steve Allen, pilot and owner of a freight company. He describes the object as being a mile long and half a mile wide. “It was positively, absolutely nothing from these parts,” Allen asserted.

Lee Roy Gaitlin, constable of Erath County, says the object had red glowing lights and white flashing lights. “It wasn’t an airplane. It wasn’t a meteor, because it wouldn’t have been bouncing around. It wasn’t just one light,” said Gaitlin.

Officials from nearby Air Force bases — Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene and Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls — say none of their aircraft were in the area the night of the sightings. However, Major Karl Lewis, a spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing at the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth, believes the object was an illusion caused by airplane lights.

“I’m 90 percent sure this was an airliner. With the sun’s angle, it can play tricks on you.” Lewis said.

The Mutual UFO Network, a UFO investigative organization, plans to visit the town next weekend.