The Corpus Christi Police Department remember fallen officer Joseph Moon today.
Tuesday, June 7, 1938, Corpus Christi Police Patrolman Joseph Moon died as a result of a crash while in pursuit of a speeding motorist on Timon Boulevard.
Joseph Moon was a motorcycle traffic officer and had been employed by the Corpus Christi Police for one year. The rear brakes for the motorcycle jammed as Officer Moon attempted to slow to turn onto Market Street. The motorcycle struck a concrete curb and Officer Moon suffered abdominal injuries from the handlebars.
Officer Moon underwent surgery, but died of his injuries on June 10, 1938. Officer Moon was survived by his wife and two children.
Crime Stoppers celebrates 35 years of operation in Texas today after its start on June 8, 1981. Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers formed its own group on October 28, 1981.
Crime Stoppers is a non-profit organization certified by the Governor’s office and widely supported by funding from donations and supported by the local media. It consists of a dedicated, non-paid volunteer board working with a Corpus Christi Police Coordinator who act as liaisons between the Board, the Police Department, other law enforcement agencies and the media. Crime Stoppers provides an avenue for the citizens of Corpus Christi to report crimes anonymously through the use of a hotline and pays rewards to anonymous tipsters.
Crime Stoppers began after a university student was killed during a gas station robbery in July, 1976 in Albuquerque New Mexico. After six weeks of investigation the police had very few leads as to who was responsible. Albuquerque Police Detective, Greg MacAleese, thought that if the public was able to observe a reenactment of the crime on television this may lead to a citizen providing information that may lead to an arrest. Greg MacAleese was right. A caller contacted the police department the next day after seeing the reenactment. The tip information was enough to lead the police to the two men who were responsible. Within seventy two hours of the reenactment being aired, the police had solved the murder. This was the beginning of Crime Stoppers.
Crime Stoppers spread to Texas on June 8, 1981, and then reached Corpus Christi which started its own non-profit group on October 28 of the same year.
Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers approved $45,930 dollars in rewards for solutions to 114 crimes in Corpus Christi in 2015. Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers has approved $19,910 dollars in rewards for the solutions to 36 crimes in Corpus Christi in 2016 as of June 8, 2016.
Crime Stoppers guarantees to keep the identity secret of anyone who provides information to Crime Stoppers. Anyone who has information about an unsolved crime, or knows the location of a fugitive should call 888-TIPS or submit the information online at http://www.888TIPS.com. If the information leads to an arrest, it may earn the caller a cash reward.
The Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers approved $2,980 dollars in rewards at their monthly meeting last week for anonymous tips which gathered six arrests in Corpus Christi last month.
These six arrests were because someone called Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS or submitted the information online at http://www.888TIPS.com to provide information which led to the resolution of criminal cases that may have otherwise gone unsolved without the help from the community. Crime Stoppers guarantees to keep the identity of the caller anonymous, so the Crime Stoppers rely on the tipster to call back to get the information to collect the reward. The following arrests were the result of Crime Stoppers tips:
Zachariah Purcel (2/22/1989)
May 31, 2016, 27-year-old Zachariah Purcel was arrested for Possession of Marijuana with Case #1605310152 based on a Crime Stoppers tip. The approved reward is for $380 dollars.
Kyle Fisk (7/13/1993)
May 27, 2016, 22-year-old Kyle Fisk was arrested for two counts of possession of controlled substances with Case #16002690 based on a Crime Stoppers tip. The approved reward is for $420 dollars.
Robert Gonzales (5/22/1984)
May 27, 2016, 32-year-old Robert Gonzales located as a fugitive for two Aggravated Assault Warrants with Case #16002689 based on a Crime Stoppers tip. The approved reward is for $660 dollars.
Alberto Fuentes (5/26/1989)
May 15, 2016, 26-year-old Alberto Fuentes was located as a fugitive for manslaughter with Case #1605150073 based on a Crime Stoppers tip. This warrant was related to a Driving While Intoxicated crash on Belton and Sarita on March 4, 2016 which killed a woman. The approved reward is for $740 dollars.
Crystal Pena (9/10/1987)
May 12, 2016, 28-year-old Crystal Pena was located as a fugitive for Driving While Intoxicated with Case #16004442 based on a Crime Stoppers tip. The approved reward is for $400 dollars.
Cassandra Gutierrez (10/30/1988)
May 6, 2016, 27-year-old Cassandra Gutierrez was arrested for Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle with Case #16002336 based on a Crime Stoppers tip. The approved reward is for $380 dollars.
The Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers have approved $19,910 dollars in rewards for 2016 and only 12 rewards in the amount of $8,940 dollars have been collected. Crime Stoppers wants the tipsters to collect the rewards, so if you have made a Crime Stoppers tip and believe it may have led to the capture of a criminal, call 888-TIPS on Thursdays from 10am to 4pm and refer to the tip number you were provided to check on the status of your tip.
Anyone with information on unsolved crimes, or the location of a fugitive should call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS at any time or submit the information online at http://www.888TIPS.com. If the information leads to an arrest, it could earn you a cash reward.
In 2015, there were 2,369 reportable motor vehicle crashes in Texas in which unrestrained vehicle occupants sustainedfatal or serious injuries. (TxDOT)
Wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of a fatal injury to people in the front seat of passenger cars by 45 percent. For those in pickups, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60 percent since pickups are twice as likely to roll over as passenger vehicles. (NHTSA)
(Left) Delta District Captain Robert Alvarado, Lieutenant Brian Hill, and Police Operations Commander David Blackmon
Corpus Christi Police recognized the effort of Lieutenant Brian Hill for his actions to identify a suspect of an attempted kidnapping earlier this year. Lt. Hill’s supervisor, Captain Robert Alvarado, and Cpt. Alvarado’s supervisor, Commander David Blackmon, presented Lt. Hill with a letter of commendation today and provided the following synopsis:
Lieutenant Brian Hill responded to 820 Elesa (Zavala Elementary School) on March 30, 2016 in reference to a possible Kidnapping that just occurred. While he directed his troops to handle the call, he still played an active role in the investigation that was unfolding. In the initial steps of the investigation, a possible suspect was located. Lt. Hill managed the field identification that netted negative results. He also tried to get video footage of the incident from school officials. He was unable to make contact with anyone at that time, but he did not stop there. Lt. Hill and Senior Officer Goce followed up the next day with school officials and were able to locate footage of the attempted kidnapping. Due to that footage, it was discovered that the suspect had a tattoo on his right calf. It was also found that the suspect was in a Volkswagen Jetta.
Throughout the next month Lt. Hill patrolled the neighborhood in an attempt to locate the suspect vehicle from that incident. On May 5, 2016, his efforts came to fruition. While patrolling the area of 24th Street and Ruth, Lt. Hill saw a 2015 Black Volkswagen Jetta that matched the suspect vehicle he had been looking for, for over a month. Lt. Hill stopped the vehicle and made contact with the driver as he pulled into the Dollar General store that was less than 1 block from the location of the original crime. Lt. Hill saw that the driver had a tattoo on his calf that matched the video of the suspect he had previously discovered. Lt. Hill was then able to speak to the suspect and got him to willingly come in to CID to give a recorded statement to detectives.
Lt. Hill displayed a tenacious work ethic in his relentless pursuit of a kidnapping suspect. Lt. Hill could have easily let Detectives follow up on the vehicle, issue a BOLO for the suspect vehicle and left it to his troops to possibly locate the vehicle and suspect. Instead, he took the lead and never yielded in his search for this suspect. Lt. Hill has shown his officers, his peers, and his supervisors his ability to conduct a complete investigation and his dedication to duty.
Lt. Brian Hill is hereby commended for his actions in relation to the Attempted Kidnapping of an 11-year-old girl at Zavala Elementary on March 30, 2016. Lt. Hill’s professionalism reflects well upon himself, the Corpus Christi Police Department, and the citizens that he serves.
Lieutenant Hill has been employed with the Corpus Christi Police Department since 1979.
Detectives have filed the attempted kidnapping case with the District Attorney’s Office for presentation to a Grand Jury.
The City of Corpus Christi will auction 114 cars, trucks, and motorcycles at the Police Vehicle Impound Lot, located at 5485 Greenwood Drive, on Saturday, June 4, 2016. The auction will start at 10:00 am. There are 25 vehicles included in the auction which were impounded for no insurance.
The general public is encouraged to register and view the vehicles for auction from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Friday, June 3, 2016. The general public can continue to view the vehicles from 8:00 am to 10:00 am on the day of the auction.
The vehicles for auction may be viewed online and an auction list may be downloaded from www.siskauction.com.
Thanks to a grant from ASPCA, 22 dogs from Corpus Christi Animal Care Services packed their bags & left for Minnesota this morning to be adopted. This is the largest shipment from our facility to transfer animals to other parts of the country as an animal management option to find the dogs forever homes.
The relocation grant program is funded by the ASPCA and according to their website, http://www.aspcapro.org/relocation, the program provides funding for the cost of actual transport of the animals that include fuel, hotel services, and the drivers. The grant also pays for the preparation for transport like the veterinary care, vaccinations, health certificates, and spay & neuter services. The ASPCA started the relocation program in 2011 for the purpose to transfer dogs from overcrowded shelters in the south to less crowded facilities in the north for a better opportunity for adoption of the dogs.
Don’t worry, there are plenty of animals at our facility which need loving homes. If you need an addition to the family, go to our facility at 2626 Holly Road and find a new friend!
Corpus Christi Police Captain, Chris White, the Animal Care Services Manager, and Dr. Melissa Draper, the veterinarian for Corpus Christi Animal Care Services, announce the movement of 22 dogs from the facility to Minnesota to gain forever homes.
Corpus Christi Animal Care Services Kennel Master, Danni Alcantara, says “Good bye” to an excited puppy before the dogs leave for Minnesota
CCPD Blotter 
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