All posts by Kirk Stowers

Adam District, Patrol Division

Police Arrest Man For Hoax Bomb on Traffic Stop on Leopard Street

Occurred Thursday, January 03, 2013, 9:52am, Leopard Street at Starlite, 1301030033

                Corpus Christi Police arrested a 57-year-old man on a traffic stop Thursday morning at Leopard Street and Starlite for possession of a hoax bomb.

A Corpus Christi Police Patrol Officer conducted a traffic stop with a white 1995 Ford Explorer for a minor traffic violation. The officer saw a package on the passenger seat that appeared to be an improvised explosive device. The operator was removed from the vehicle and detained in the back of a patrol car for an investigation of possession of a prohibited weapon.

The Corpus Christi Police Bomb Squad was called to the traffic stop scene at Leopard Street and Starlite. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms arrived at the scene to provide assistance. Traffic was interrupted for 10-15 minutes while the Corpus Christi Police Bomb Squad manipulated the device and moved it to a safe container.

The Corpus Christi Police Investigators and Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms went to the 57-year-old man’s residence to ensure there were no dangerous devices that were a threat to the community. The Corpus Christi Police Bomb Squad evaluated the device found in the passenger seat of the vehicle and determined the device was not capable to function as intended by the person who constructed it.

Corpus Christi Police then arrested 57-year-old Johnny James Wilkey (8/3/1955) for a Hoax Bomb, a Class A Misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and up to a $4,000 fine.

Charlie District, Traffic Safety Division

Utility Work Will Affect Greenwood Drive Traffic

The City of Corpus Christi Traffic Engineering office advises residents beginning Friday, January 4 and Monday, January 7, 2013, weather permitting; city contractors will be performing field investigations and roadway testing on Greenwood Drive between Gollihar Road and Horne Road.  During this period, either the northbound or southbound traffic on Greenwood will be reduced to one lane through the worksite.

Traffic control devices will guide motorists through the construction site.  While the work is underway, motorists should expect delays and are advised to seek alternate routes to avoid the area if possible.  Motorists are also advised to observe all construction warning signs and barricades for their safety and that of construction crews.   Access to local driveways will be maintained throughout the duration of the project.

For more information, please contact Traffic Engineering at 826-3547.

Community Outreach

January Is Crime Stoppers Month

2013_January Crime Stoppers Month

The Texas Governor declared January as Crime Stoppers Month in Texas.

Crime Stoppers sponsors a campaign every January to increase awareness of its successful crime reduction efforts. Crime Stoppers has created an effective method to solve crimes by the combination of media awareness, monetary rewards, and anonymity for those who provide information about unsolved crimes. The Crime Stoppers programs bring together businesses, citizens, law enforcement, and the media to make our communities a safer place.

Crime Stoppers has been particularly effective in Texas where anonymous tips have led to 175,000 arrests and $1.2 billion in recovered property and seized narcotics since the inception of the program in 1976.

The official declaration was signed by Texas Governor Rick Perry on December 12, 2012 which proclaimed January 2013 to be Crime Stoppers Month.

Adam District, Criminal Investigations Division

Police Arrest Man For Bank Robbery On Leopard Street

Occurred Wednesday, January 02, 2013, 10:32am, 11113 Leopard Street, Aggravated Robbery, 1301020043

                A 30-year-old man was arrested by the Corpus Christi Police Department for a bank robbery at the 11000 block of Leopard Street Wednesday morning.

Corpus Christi Police responded to a bank robbery Wednesday morning at 10:32am. A white man entered the bank and displayed a handgun. The man demanded the bank tellers put cash in a plastic bag. No person was injured in the event. The man then left the bank and ran toward Violet Road.

The man was described as a white man who wore a wig and fake beard with a dark color hooded jacket, blue jeans, and gray tennis shoes. The man ran to a store near Violet Road and drove away in a car. A witness provided police with a license plate of the car.

Corpus Christi Police Robbery/Homicide Detectives developed information to identify 30-year-old Glen Sympson (5/21/1982) as responsible for the robbery. Sympson was arrested at his residence and delivered to the city detention center for Aggravated Robbery, a 1st degree felony punishable by up to 99 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

Community Outreach

New Year’s Weekend Enforcement Review

The Corpus Christi Police Department has enforcement data from the New Year’s weekend to share with the public.

The operational period between December 28, 2012 until 9am on January 1, 2013 The Corpus Christi Police Department arrested 23 impaired drivers. There were:

  • 1 Driving Under the Influence arrest for a person under the age of 21 who consumed alcoholic beverages and drove;
  • 19 Driving While Intoxicated as a 1st time offense for D.W.I.;
  • 1 Driving While Intoxicated arrest with 3 or more previous convictions for D.W.I.;
  • 2 Driving While Intoxicated arrest with blood alcohol content over .15.

Corpus Christi Police Officers also made 2 arrests for reckless driving in an effort to reduce hazardous driving on the city streets.

Corpus Christi Police also received 143 fireworks complaints for the New Year’s Holiday. The Corpus Christi Police makes every effort to work as an equal partner with the community to reduce crime, reduce the fear of crime, and enhance public safety.

Bravo District, Patrol Division

Police Investigate First Homicide Of 2013

Occurred Tuesday, January 1, 2013, 3:26am, 1010 Behman Street, Murder, 1301010041

The Corpus Christi Police Department is investigating the first homicide of 2013 at 1010 Behman Street after the death of a 35-year-old man Tuesday morning.

Corpus Christi Police responded to a disturbance call which involved gunshots at 1010 Behman Street at 3:26am Tuesday morning. Responding police officers found an injured 35-year-old man in the parking lot and directed an ambulance crew to provide aid to the 35-year-old man. The 35-year-old man was taken to the hospital but did not survive his injuries.

Witnesses guided police and said the person who caused the injury went inside an apartment with a firearm and refused to come out. Police Officers removed everyone from two surrounding apartments to a place of safety.

The Corpus Christi Police SWAT team and the Corpus Christi Police Hostage Negotiating team arrived and initiated a dialog with the 22-year-old man identified as a suspect in this case. The 22-year-old man peacefully surrendered to police at 4:43am. Corpus Christi Police believe there are no additional suspects in this event.

Corpus Christi Police Robbery/Homicide Detectives continue to investigate this event and gather information. Detectives applied for a search warrant of the apartment from which the 22-year-old suspect surrendered in order to evaluate more evidence and data with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Forensics Lab Technicians.

Anyone with additional information about this event should contact Corpus Christi Police at 886-2841 to make the information available to the detectives assigned this case. This information will be updated upon delivery of any suspect to the city detention center.

Update: 22 year old Patrick Dwayne Todd (3/21/1990) was arrested for murder and delivered to the Corpus Christi City Detention Center for murder. The charge is a 1st degree felony punishable by up to 99 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

Community Outreach

Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers 2012 Review

Stop Crime

The Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers organization is thankful to the public for participation to apprehend criminals and is pleased to report statistical information about the activity of the program for 2012.

The Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers Organization is a venue for the public to provide anonymous information to the Corpus Christi Police Department about unsolved crimes. The proposed vision statement for the Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers is to facilitate the public with the best and safest outlet to provide anonymous information to law enforcement that may not have been collected otherwise while utilizing the latest technological trends available and paying a reward to tipsters for information that leads to an arrest.

There were 2,253 tips called into Crime Stoppers for 2012 which resulted in 130 arrests and 177 cases cleared. The anonymous tips resulted in $19,650 worth of recovered property, $27,195 in street value of narcotics seized, and 10 weapons recovered. Those who provided information that led to the arrest of criminals were paid rewards. The total amount of rewards approved this year was $19,841.

The Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers 501.3(c) organization began in October 1981 by a group of citizen volunteers and has facilitated 2,793 arrests since inception. The Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers Board currently has 13 citizen volunteers. All the money paid in rewards to tipsters is generated from donations to the program. No tax dollars fund the Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers program.

An example of a good Crime Stoppers tip was October 2, 2012 at 2222 Capitan #B. Corpus Christi Police Narcotics Vice Investigators acted on a tip and seized 20 pounds of marijuana, 8.43 grams of cocaine, and $14,520 in cash.

Siezure from October 2, 2012 Case #1210020122 from a Crime Stoppers tip
seizure from October 2, 2012 Case #1210020122 from a Crime Stoppers tip

The Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers Organization is thankful for the public support to hold criminal accountable for their actions and encourages anyone with information about unsolved crimes to call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS (8477) or online at www.888TIPS.com. The organization also has the Tipsubmit mobile app for users to provide tips on their smart phone. Everyone is encouraged to research reported criminal activity in their area by visiting the website, Crimereports.com and there is an option to provide Crime Stoppers with information about the crimes featured on that site. If the information provided to Crime Stoppers leads to an arrest, the tipster could receive a cash reward of up to $1,000.

Bravo District, Patrol Division

Police Catch Man Filling Up Stolen Truck With Gas on Airline Road

Occurred Monday, December 31, 2012, 1:47am, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, 1212310015

A 46-year-old man was arrested Monday morning for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle when an alert Corpus Christi Police Officer saw the man fill up with gas at Airline and Holly.

A Corpus Christi Police Patrol Officer pulled into a gas station at the intersection of Airline and Holly Road at 1:47 in the morning and saw an unoccupied red 1999 FordF-150 pickup truck at the fuel pump. The officer saw the truck had no front license plate displayed. The officer circled to the back of the truck and checked the Texas license plate displayed on the rear of the truck.

The officer was notified the license plate displayed was reported as a stolen license plate from Corpus Christi on December 26, 2012. The Officer stopped a 46-year-old man who crossed the street from the gas station as a possible person who brought the truck to the fuel pump. The officer then discovered the truck was reported stolen out of George West.

The officer found evidence the 46-year-old man, Leonel Soliz (8/16/1966), had driven the truck to the fuel pump. The Police Officer then discovered methamphetamines in the truck during an inventory.

Soliz was arrested for possession of a controlled substance from penalty group 1, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle (both state jail felony offenses), and for theft for the stolen license plate (a Class B Misdemeanor). Soliz was then delivered to the Corpus Christi city detention center.

Community Outreach

Police Warn Against Celebratory Gunfire

Celebratory gunfire may not seem like a big deal to many, but to put this into perspective, a bullet fired into the air can climb up to two miles. When it falls back to earth, it can reach a speed of 300 to 700 feet per second. A velocity of only 200 feet per second is strong enough to penetrate the human skull.

Celebratory gunfire is not only dangerous but it is against the law. Texas Penal Code 42.12. “DISCHARGE OF FIREARM IN CERTAIN MUNICIPALITIES” states; A person commits an offense if the person recklessly discharges a firearm inside the corporate limits of a municipality having a population of 100,000 or more. An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

A person acts recklessly, or is reckless, with respect to circumstances surrounding his conduct or the result of his conduct when he is aware of but consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the circumstances exist or the result will occur. An individual guilty of a Class A misdemeanor shall be punished by: a fine not to exceed $4,000; confinement in jail for a term not to exceed one year; or both such fine and confinement.

Remember what goes up must come down and the Corpus Christi Police Department want no one to get hurt.

Delta District, Traffic Safety Division

Man Causes Crash At Staples & Kostroyz With Fatal Injury, Then Arrested For Intoxication Manslaughter

Intersection of Kostoryz and Staples by Google
Intersection of Kostoryz and Staples by Google

Occurred Monday, December 31, 2012, 5:47am, Staples St. at Kostoryz St. Intoxication Manslaughter, 1212310030

A 22-year-old man was arrested for intoxication manslaughter Monday morning after a single vehicle crash that resulted in the death of a 22-year-old man.

A black 2003 Kia Sorento was driven by 22-year-old Michael Valenzuela (10/18/1990) on Kostoryz Monday morning at about 5:45am. The Kia traveled north on Kostroyz to the Staples Street intersection and then conducted a left turn onto Staples Street. Valenzuela lost control of the vehicle and the Kia struck the curb on the right side of the roadway and then rolled. The Kia landed on the driver’s side.

A 22-year-old man was the rear passenger in the Kia and was ejected from the Kia. The 22-year-old passenger was not wearing a seat belt and was fatally injured. The two women passengers and Valenzuela were uninjured in the crash.

Corpus Christi Police investigated the crash and discovered Valenzuela was in possession of marijuana. Investigating officers believe speed was a contributing factor to the crash and also discovered evidence Valenzuela was intoxicated.

Police Officers took Valenzuela to Spohn Shoreline Hospital for a medical evaluation and to collect a specimen of his blood. Valenzuela was then delivered to the Corpus Christi city detention center.

Valenzuela was arrested for Intoxication Manslaughter (a second degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine) and for possession of marijuana (a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail and up to a $2,000 fine).

Traffic was disrupted in the intersection for about 2 hours.

Corpus Christi Police remind motorists that everyone in a vehicle must wear a seatbelt. Police also urge everyone to reduce the risk in traffic and have a driver that has not consumed alcohol.