Warrants issued after Martin fails to show for trial

John Wright Martin

A district judge in Collin County issued arrest warrants today (Tuesday, Aug. 28) for former Dallas resident John Wright Martin, who faces four felony charges of theft and forgery. Martin is accused of having embezzled more than $3 million from his former employer, restaurant owner Kristy Pitchford.

Kristy Pitchford owns Nerdvana restaurant in Frisco. She is married to Randy Pitchford, owner of Frisco-based Gearbox Software. Martin worked as Kristy Pitchford’s personal assistant, helping manage her household as she developed and opened her gamer-themed restaurant. Martin is accused of embezzling from both her personal and business accounts.

Martin allegedly used the embezzled funds to build a mansion in Frisco, to fund his own interior design business and to donate to nonprofit organizations in the LGBT community.

According to records available online, three warrants were issued for Martin today after he failed to appear in court to stand trial on charges of property theft between $30,000 and $150,000 and forgery of a financial instrument and two different charges of property theft over $300,000.

There are also two outstanding warrants stemming from two unrelated charges — one a DUI charge from 2016 and the other related to an accident 2017.

Martin’s trial on three theft charges and one forgery charge was set to begin today (Tuesday, Aug, 28), at 9 a.m. in the Judge Andrea Thompson’s 416^th District Court in Collin County, but warrants were issued when Martin didn’t show up in the courtroom.

According to online records, when each case was called for trial, Martin’s “name [was] called three times at the courtroom door No answer. Bond forfeited.” And intermediate judgment, called “judgment nisi,” was issued “against principal and sureties” totaling $125,000. New bonds in the four cases, totaling $250,000 were set by the judge.

Martin is also scheduled to appear in Judge Thompson’s court at 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 30, for a hearing on a motion to revoke his probation in the 2016 DUI case, in which he pleaded guilty in July 2017.