News/events from Corpus Christi Police. This site is not monitored. Call 911 for emergencies. Comments, list of followers subject to public disclosure.
Corpus Christi Animal Control Officers took possession of “Annabelle”, a brown pitbull mix that was found with an embedded chain around her neck on Saturday morning 02/01/2014 at approximately 10:00am. Annabelle was immediately taken to VCA Oso Vet Clinic and received medical attention. She was later transferred to Animal Care Services to recuperate.
During Annabelle’s medical examination by VCA veterinarian, Dr. Jennifer Rizzo, she was given a body score of 3 out of 5. According to veterinarian notes and an official letter by Dr.Rizzo, Annabelle had a single laceration circumferentially around 70% of her neck. The wound was 32cm in length. The wound was 1cm deep at its worst point. No vital structures (blood vessels, nerves, trachea, etc) were exposed. Dr. Rizzo documented that the wound was likely infected.
Dr. Rizzo also documented that Annabelle was alert and responsive and had no additional external evidence of disease. She stated that in her professional opinion, based on physical examination of Annabelle, that the wound was not an imminent threat to life. She stated that the wound would need to be treated for infection.
Since Annabelle’s stay at Animal Care Services, she has been found to be a very happy and loving dog, despite her injuries. Often Animal Control Officers witness animals that are chained for extended lengths of time to be socially introverted and fearful. However Annabelle is quite the exception.
Annabelle’s friend, Zeus was also taken from the home in question. Zeus is a healthy and friendly pit bull. Both dogs appear to be adoptable and good candidates for new homes. We invite the general public or rescues to consider adopting one or both of these sweet dogs.
Animal cruelty charges are being pursued on Annabelle’s previous owners.
Date: February, 4 2014, 2:57 a.m.
Location: 7600 SH 44 E
Event: Major Accident
Case Number: C1400458
Police were called for a major accident on SH 44. Officers arrived and found the driver, a 52-year-old driver of a cement truck, to be uninjured. He stated that as he was driving east in the slow lane and a vehicle cut him off causing him to brake unexpectedly and lose control. The dump truck rolled onto its side (drivers), coming to rest in the middle of both lanes of the highway.
The dump truck was empty but engine fluids were leaking onto the roadway. For the safety of motorists and safety personnel, Hwy 44 was shut down and vehicles were routed onto the access road. The highway was reopened at 5:49 a.m.
Date: February 1, 2014, 04:23 a.m.
Location: 4337 S. Padre Island Drive http://goo.gl/maps/sqki1
Event: Murder
Case Number: 1402010039
Police and Fire were called to the Embassy Suites Hotel for a fight involving injuries. When Officers arrived they began CPR on a 31-year-old man. CCFD Emergency Personnel transported the man to Doctor’s Regional Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
Corpus Christi Police Department Homicide/Robbery Detectives were called to investigate. Christopher Garza (10/22/1982) was arrested and booked into the City Detention Center. Detectives continue to investigate the case.
Anyone with any information on this crime is asked to call Homicide/Robbery Detectives at 361-886-2841. If you would like to remain anonymous, please call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS or submit a tip online at www.888TIPS.com. Tipsters will earn a cash reward if the information provided leads to the arrest of the suspect.
In 2013 the Corpus Christi Police Department entered 1087 weapons as stolen into the National Crime Information Computer and the Texas Crime Information Computer system. The weapons are “entered” into the system so that any Law Enforcement Agency can check to see if a weapon is stolen should they come upon one in their course of duties. The weapons are entered into the NCIC/TCIC system by make, model, color, and serial number at minimum.
Of the 1087 weapons that were stolen in Corpus Christi last year, 407 (37%) were entered into the system without a serial number as the owner did not have one to provide to Officers. 173 (16%) of the weapons were taken from vehicles that were burglarized or where the vehicle was stolen and had a weapon left in the vehicle (145 total reports). In March of 2013 a weapon, that was stolen from a vehicle, was used in a two robberies and a burglary before it had even been reported stolen to police.
As a reminder please lock your weapons in a secure area when you are not at home. We also ask you to document the serial number to each one of your weapons and store it in a safe location. A vehicle glove box and even the trunk are not secure places to store a weapon. Gun safes are readily available for vehicles and are highly recommended for those with Concealed Handgun Licenses.
The WordPress.com stats helpers prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 260,000 times in 2013. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 11 days for that many people to see it.
The Corpus Christi Police Department will hold a Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, January 18th at the Seashore Middle Academy located at 15437 S. Padre Island Drive. The event will begin at 3:00 p.m.
Detectives with the Child Crimes Unit will be on hand to discuss the recent Attempted Kidnapping along with sharing information on how to keep your children safe.
Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2014, 17:24
Location: 13700 Hawksnest Bay Drive http://goo.gl/maps/lIIxr Offense: Attempted Kidnapping (Penal Code Section 20.04) 1st Degree Felony Case Number: 1401150105
A 44-year-old woman reported an attempted kidnapping on the 13700 block of Hawksnest Bay to Corpus Christi Police Wednesday. The 44-year-old woman told Officers her 13-year-old son explained to her that a man in a truck approached him while he walked home at 5:20pm. The 44-year-old woman told Officers her son said the man demanded the boy get into the truck. The 44-year-old woman told Officers her son ran home to call police and the vehicle went east on Hawksnest Bay toward Gypsy. The 13-year-old boy described the truck to Officers as a gray Ford F-150 with a rounded front end and a red square shaped decal on the upper driver’s side rear window and then described the man as about 40 years of age with a mustache and medium brown skin.
Floyd Simpson, Corpus Christi Chief of Police (2nd from left) receives the 2013 Outstanding Investigative Effort Award. Also pictured is Captain David Cook (3rd from left), Supervisor of the Narcotics/Vice Division.The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Program (HIDTA) is a grant based program under the Office of National Drug Control Policy designed to bring local, state and federal law enforcement agencies together into cooperative, collaborative drug task forces with the goal of targeting Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) at the source of these illicit drug networks.
The Houston HIDTA is one of more than 30 HIDTAs around the country, and its focus is on the Texas coastal region. The Houston HIDTA operates 8 Enforcement Initiatives and 3 Intelligence Initiatives in this region. One of the Enforcement Initiatives in the Houston HIDTA is the Texas Coastal Corridor Initiative (TCCI). TCCI is a multi-agency task force with an area of responsibility encompassing 17 South Texas coastal counties that include: Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Calhoun, DeWitt, Duval, Goliad, Jackson, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Lavaca, Live Oak, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, and Victoria. The TCCI continues to focus investigative efforts on sophisticated DTOs responsible for the importation and distribution of vast quantities of drugs from Mexico into the United States. Due to a combination of geographic, demographic, and economic factors, the porosity of the Texas/Mexico border continues to allow a constant flow of drugs into Texas with destinations throughout the United States and Canada. Geographic proximity to Mexico, maritime and highway transportation infrastructure, and international trade continue to contribute to the use of South Texas as a major transshipment corridor and staging/distribution depot for drugs arriving from Mexico.
On Thursday, January 16, 2014, Mike Gotlieb, National Director of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking attended the January Houston HIDTA Executive Board meeting, and presented representatives of the TCCI with the 2013 Outstanding Investigative Effort Award. The 2013 accomplishments noted by Director Gotlieb include:
The TCCI generated 397 new cases, made 467 arrests, indicted an additional 176 drug traffickers subsequent to further investigation and passed 387 leads to other Law Enforcement agencies and HIDTAs. TCCI seized approximately 71,503 Kilograms (Kg) of marijuana, 497 Kg of cocaine, 172 Kg of methamphetamine, 32 Kg of Heroin, and 96 Kg of Ice. The approximate street value of the drugs seized and removed from the flow of narcotics distribution and trafficking is in excess of $104,844,481. In addition, the TCCI seized approximately $6,000,000 in U.S. currency, real property, vehicles, weapons and ammunition. Through the TCCI’s interdiction efforts, 13 drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) were identified, 11 cases were approved as Priority Targets Organizations and 2 cases were developed into and approved as OCDEFT investigations. As a result of these efforts, the TCCI disrupted or dismantled 20 DTOs in 2013, 18 of which were operating on an International scale. Current intelligence research and sharing amongst TCCI AOR agencies are developing possible new strategies to identify persons, assets and locations for future interdiction efforts.
Director Gotlieb also presented the Houston HIDTA with the National HIDTA of the Year award, and the Houston HIDTA IT Manager David Henry was presented with the award for Outstanding Effort in Information Technology.
Operation Nice Guys: This was a multi-agency PTO investigation targeting members of a synthetic cannabinoids DTO. This DTO distributed approximately 28 kilograms of synthetic cannabinoids per month from a large auto sales company and two head shops owned by members of this organization in the TCCI AOR. This DTO laundered approximately $15,000 in illicit drug proceeds per month for several years through a car dealership and used a co-conspirator to structure approximately $700,000.00 of these proceeds to pay for suspects’ real and personal properties. Investigators in this case employed several tools and techniques to include pole cameras, undercover purchases of narcotics, photo surveillance and interviews. On May 31, 2013, the members of the TCCI along with agents and officers from their parent agencies conducted 6 search warrants, resulting in the dismantlement of the synthetic cannabinoids distribution organization. This 18-month Priority Target Organization investigation resulted in the arrest of five individuals and the seizure of five kilograms of synthetic cannabinoids. Also seized were $463,827.00 in U.S. currency, personal property (vehicles) valued at $393,628.00 and real property valued at $1.26 million.
On 01/03/14 at about 12:00 hours officers from the Narcotics Vice Investigations Division executed a search warrant at the PMI store located at 4902 Greenwood. The warrant was obtained after an ongoing investigation by undercover officers revealed that the store was running a continuing illegal gambling operation.
A search of the store netted a seizure of ten 8-liner machines, 2 quarter slider machines, the computer system which operated the 8-liner machines, a ticket printer for the machines, $897 cash and numerous illegal pipes that are used to smoke marijuana. The pipes that were seized had an approximate value $1,650.
The investigation is ongoing and charges of keeping a gambling place a class A misdemeanor are pending against the owner of the store. The store owner will additionally be cited for the illegal pipes.
Date: Wednesday, January 1, 2014 11:14 a.m. Location: 4600 Valdez https://goo.gl/maps/9I2xS Offense: Aggravated Assault Case Number: 1401010080
At 11:14 a.m. Officers were called to the 4600 block of Valdez for a shooting call. Upon arrival they located a 42-year-old male with what appeared to be gunshot wounds to his body. The victim was transported to Spohn Memorial by medic units and was taken into surgery.
Shortly thereafter Officers made contact with the person who was believed to be the suspect in the shooting and detained him. Officers were also able to recover a weapon that was possibly used in the assault. Detectives with the Robbery/Homicide Division arrived and interviewed witnesses from the scene along with the possible suspect. Detectives arrested Ashley Howze (B/M 8/9/1986) for the Aggravated Assault w/Deadly Weapon. He was taken to the City Detention Center and booked.
The initial indications are that the disturbance stemmed from an earlier family disturbance at another location. At last update the 42-year-old victim remained in critical condition.
We will update the blotter as we receive information on the case.
Anyone who knows any additional information about this crime should contact the Corpus Christi Police Department at 886-2840. Information about unsolved crimes may be provided to investigators anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS (8477) or online at 888TIPS.com. Information provided to Crime Stoppers which results in an arrest may earn the caller a cash reward.
Search the website Crimereports.com to research all reported criminal activity in Corpus Christi.
New Year’s Eve 2013 was a busy night for Officers and staff of the Corpus Christi Police Department. The following are preliminary stats from December 31, 2013 to 6:00 a.m. on January 1, 2014.
CCPD Blotter 
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