Occurred March 16, 2012 4:40am  Vehicle Crash that involved Death   C1201995

Corpus Christi Police responded to a single vehicle crash at about 4:40 Friday morning which involved a death. Police and medical crews were called to the 6000 block of Yorktown for a vehicle that left the roadway and struck a brick wall.

Police discovered a white 2003 General Motors Corporation Yukon with front right damage and found a single occupant of the vehicle. The driver of the Yukon was taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital. The driver of the vehicle expired and experts with Corpus Christi Police Traffic Division were summoned to document the crash.

The medical examiner will conduct an inquiry to determine the cause of death of the driver. Officers at the scene collected information that indicates the driver may have suffered a medical condition prior to the crash causing the vehicle to travel off the roadway.

Occurred March 15, 2012 1:56pm Aggravated Assault 5100 Staples  1203150069

A 21-year-old man was arrested Thursday in the area of Staples and S.P.I.D. for aggravated assault after an argument with a roommate over lowering a car window.

Corpus Christi Police were called to the 5100 block of South Staples where an off duty police officer and a retired federal agent had stopped a fight with a knife that happened in the roadway. Police learned that 21-year-old Scott Lohman (2/8/1991) was in a fight with his 21-year-old roommate.

The 21-year-old victim explained that Lohman drove a brown 2011 Chevy Malibu and would not permit the victim to lower the window. The victim was the passenger in the car and when he complained about the heat; Lohman turned on the heater to the vehicle. The passenger asked Lohman if Lohman intended to kill him. Lohman then presented a knife and said that the knife would kill the passenger, not the heat.

The passenger and Lohman struggled for control of the knife. The two then exited the vehicle and continued to fight until the fight was stopped by an off duty police officer and a retired federal agent.

The passenger had minor, non-life threatening cuts as a result of the struggle. Lohman was arrested and delivered to the city detention center.

Reported on 3/14/12, 2:12 a.m. Aggravated Assault   Mustang Island   1203140008

An off-duty Officer working at Spohn Memorial contacted the 30-year-old victim who reported he was stabbed while at the beach with his cousin.

The victim told Officers he tried to stop a fight when he was stabbed in the upper left chest and arm.  The victim was driven home by his cousin and then taken to the emergency room by his girlfriend.

The victim was unable to provide Officers with a suspect description.  The motive for the fight remains unknown at this time.

Anyone having any information regarding this crime is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS or the Corpus Christi Police Department Homicide/Robbery Bureau.

Occurred on 3/14/12, 11:41 p.m.   Hit & Run, Driving While Intoxicated & Public Intoxication   14400 Park Road 22    C1201938/1203140002/1203140003  

A Corpus Christi Police Department vehicle was struck while it was parked at Park Road 22 and SH 361. The driver of a black 2012 Toyota backed out of a parking space, struck the police car and then fled the scene. An on-duty Park Ranger witnessed the Hit & Run and followed the Toyota until Officers were able to catch up to the vehicle.  Officers pulled the vehicle over at the Speed Stop located at S. Staples and S. Padre Island Drive. 

The driver Arnaldo Alan Perez (08/18/90) who appeared intoxicated was administered Standard Field Sobriety Tests and a blood specimen obtained.  He was arrested and booked at the City Detention Center once he was medically cleared.  Perez was charged with Driving While Intoxicated and Duty to Give Information and Render Aid.

Juan Valentin Lopez (04/16/88), a passenger in the vehicle also appeared intoxicated and arrested. He was charged with Public Intoxication.

Occurred on 3/12/12, 8:17 p.m.  Public Intoxication/Harassment by Persons in a Correctional Facility   1203120142

Officers working a foggy Spring Break were surprised when a male jumped out in front of their patrol car.  The Officers who were traveling at a slow speed due to the weather were able to stop and avoid hitting the male.

Joe Newhouse (08/03/90) began to dance in front of the patrol car refusing to let them pass.  Further investigation revealed Newhouse was intoxicated and arrested.

On the way to the City Detention Center, Newhouse began to curse and threaten the Officers as well as kick the plexi glass partition. One of the Officers attempted to change the subject in order to calm Newhouse, but the threats continued. 

Officers continued to try to calm Newhouse, but he responded by spitting at one of the Officers through the metal mesh portion of the partition.  Once at the CDC, the suspect continued to struggle and resist requiring the assistance of CDC staff to escort him inside the facility.

Newhouse was charged with Public Intoxication and Harassment By Persons in a Correctional Facility.

Occurred March 12, 2012 2:05am Disorderly Conduct, Aggravated Assault, Evading Arrest 1203120016, 1203120019, 1203120022

Four people were arrested Monday morning in a period of 15 minutes after a concert at a local night club. Corpus Christi Police Officers noticed the large crowd in the parking lot at 5820 S. Staples and quickly observed several fights.

The crowd was released from Club Toxic which was host to a Kirko Bangz concert with guest, Snow Tha Product, as a Spring Break ’12 appearance. Police patrol officers gathered in the parking lot to monitor the exiting crowd to promote the crowds safety.

The police patrol officers saw their first fight within five minutes of monitoring the crowd. Directly in front of officers, 22-year-old Matthew Valdez (9/12/1989) charged and attacked another man in the crowd. Valdez was arrested for Public Intoxication and Disorderly Conduct.

Less than five minutes after Valdez was arrested, officers saw a group of about 10 people involved in a fight. Officers saw one of the active participants in the fight flail his arms, curse and provoke the surrounding crowd. The man then saw patrol officers move in his direction and the man ran from the police. Police Officers chased and arrested 22-year-old John Paul Garcia (1/7/1990) for evading arrest or detention.

Officers loaded Garcia into a patrol car and were approached by a 23-year-old woman who bled from her face. The injured woman complained that she was attacked by two other women. The 23-year-old woman said she was in a fight with the two other women who struck her in the face several times with their high heels. The injured woman pointed out her two attackers. 23-year-old Stacy Rosales (5/25/1988) and 20-year-old Mariah Barter (3/15/1991) were both arrested for Aggravated Assault and Public Intoxication.

Occurred March 10, 2012 8:17Pm     Robbery       1305 Airline           1203100106

A 26-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman were arrested for robbery Saturday after a shoplifting attempt went bad. Loss prevention employees reported to police that a woman attempted to steal merchandise from the store. The 34-year-old woman, Gina Gonzalez (2/19/1978) exited and an employee requested Gonzalez to go back into the store. Gonzalez scratched the employee on the face and arms once Gonzalez was confronted. Gonzalez left in a 2004 white Chevy Impala that was driven by a man.

The vehicle and suspect description was broadcast over the police radio. Patrol Officers saw the suspect vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. Evidence of the crime was discovered in the vehicle and it was revealed that the driver, Emmanuel Buckingham (1/7/1986) had a suspended license. Buckingham was identified as the getaway driver in the robbery and was arrested.

Gonzalez was not in the vehicle at the time of the traffic stop but officers continued to search and investigate. Gonzalez was located at a house she frequents and was arrested for the robbery.

Both Gonzalez and Buckingham were charged with the robbery and the possible punishment is incarceration between 2 to 20 years and a possible $10,000 fine.

A 17-year-old man was arrested at 2:15 pm on Friday as the first arrest for Spring Break in Corpus Christi according to Lt. Kureska of the Corpus Christi Police Department. Patrol officers on the beach saw a man drive a gold 2000 Ford Contour with an expired vehicle registration at Beach Marker 199. Officers initiated a traffic stop for the violation and the man had no driver’s license, and no insurance.

The man was alone in the vehicle and the patrol officers noticed a strong odor of marijuana from inside the vehicle. The officers discovered marijuana in the vehicle and arrested the driver, Heliberto Eguia (5/31/1994).

Eguia received several traffic citations for the expired motor vehicle registration, fail to maintain financial responsibility, and driving as an unlicensed operator. Eguia was arrested for possession of marijuana and delivered to the city detention center. Eguia’s vehicle was impounded.