2014 Spring Break Public Safety Plan

The City of Corpus Christi wants everyone visiting our Sparkling City by the Bay during Spring Break 2014 to enjoy a safe and relaxing vacation. For months, the Police, Fire, and Parks and Recreation Departments have been conducting planning sessions and making preparations to accomplish that goal.

Spring Break Beach Patrols begin on March 7th and continue through March 18th. The first shift will begin patrolling each day at 11 AM and continue until 9 PM.  A second shift will begin at 4 PM and patrol the beach until 2 AM.  Contingencies are in place for additional officers to respond to the beach if needed.

The Fire Department will have an additional ambulance available at Station 16 over the weekend of March 15 & 16. Lifeguards will be patrolling the beach from 12:00 am to 6:00 pm to respond to minor incidents and beach rescues. Packery Patrol will be operational from 11:30am-2pm and 4pm-6:30pm. CCFD will also have a jet ski stationed at the Packery Boat ramp and Windward Parking lot.

The CCPD will have a mobile police substation at the corner of SH361 and Park Road 22 located in the American Bank parking lot from March 8^th to the 18^th. Operating hours will be from 11 am until dark each night. The substation will be staffed by CCPD volunteers. Citizens will be able to get general tourist information and file minor police reports. Units with the Crime Prevention, Auto Theft and Family Violence division will have presentations scheduled throughout the Spring Break period. The CCPD Mounted Patrol will be operational during Spring Break.

On most days, beach goers will be directed to enter the beach at Access Road 3 and exit at Zahn Road.  Beach traffic will be one way from Access Road 3 to Zahn Road. Traffic officers will control traffic with a portable signal at Zahn Road and SH 361. Please be on the lookout for Officers and safety personnel.

Beach goers are encouraged to leave early and expect delays due to heavy traffic on the Island. The Texas Department of Transportation project on Park Road 22 and SH 361 will be suspended, between March 7th through the 23rd, so not to interfere with the beach traffic.

While the City of Corpus Christi encourages everyone to have a good time and enjoy the beach, officers will be on the lookout for alcohol related crimes such as DWI, public intoxication and underage drinking. All vehicles will be required to have a “beach parking permit”.
Beach goers are reminded that the following are prohibited at the beach by city ordinance:

•No glass containers (City Ord 10-65)
•No littering (City Ord 10-57)
•Dogs are prohibited on the beach from Access Road 3 to Zahn Road (during Spring Break by Special Order of the City Manager City Ord 10-59)

Due to safety concerns, the City of Corpus Christi strongly requests pallets not be taken to the beach.  Burning of pallets is prohibited as the nails leave dangerous litter.  Fires on the beach also have to comply with City Ordinance 10-67. Most importantly open fires in a fire pit or on the ground cannot be any larger than three (3) feet in any dimension.

For a more information on the City Ordinances please click on the link: MUNICODE

The Corpus Christi Police Department generated 165 original reports for formal criminal complaints from midnight March 5 to 6:00am March 6, 2014. These are samples of the criminal complaints filed by the Corpus Christi Police for that time period.

“Delta” District

Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2014, 22:10
Location: 1600 Eighteenth Street
Offense: Aggravated Assault (Penal Code Section 22.02) 2^nd Degree Felony
Case Number: 1403050139

Corpus Christi Police arrested 20-year-old Lamarcus Mason (12/30/1993) and took a 16-year-old into custody for an aggravated assault and burglary on the 1600 block of Eighteenth Street Wednesday night. Corpus Christi Police responded to a complaint from a 60-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman at 10:10pm. The 60-year-old man told Officers two unknown men kicked the door open to his home and pointed a handgun at him. No injuries were reported. The 60-year-old man told Officers the man with the gun demanded to know where a person was located, then left the house without having taken any property. The 60-year-old man and the 46-year-old woman provided a description of the two men to Officers.

Corpus Christi Police Officer J. Silva recognized the description of the suspects and went to a home on the 2000 block of Seventeenth Street. Officer Silva saw the suspects arrive at the house and Officer Silva arrested Mason and took the 16-year-old boy into custody. Officers delivered Mason to the city detention center for aggravated assault and burglary. Officer Silva delivered the 16-year-old boy to the Nueces County Juvenile Detention Center for burglary and discovered the 16-year-old boy had directives to apprehend for terroristic threats and for theft.

Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2014, 23:46
Location: 700 South Water Street
Offense: Robbery (Penal Code Section 29.02) 2^nd Degree Felony
Case Number: 1403050149

A 21-year-old woman reported a robbery at a parking garage on the 700 block of South Water Street to Corpus Christi Police Wednesday night. The 21-year-old woman told Officers she made arrangements to meet a man in the parking garage to go to a party. The 21-year-old woman said the man she intended to meet arrived at the parking garage with two other men. The 21-year-old woman told Officers the man she intended to meet asked to ride with her and she agreed, and then got out of the car to organize her seats. The 21-year-old woman told Officers the men then tied her with duct tape and took her money and her cell phone. The 21-year-old woman told Officers the men left and she was able to break free from the duct tape restraint. The 21-year-old woman told Officers she was not injured and she described the men as having left in a tan Chevy Suburban. The 21-year-old woman described the suspects to Officers as men about 20 years of age, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, about 180 pounds, and wore ski masks and dark clothing.

Search the website Crimereports.com to research all reported criminal activity in Corpus Christi. Anyone who knows any additional information about these crimes should contact the Corpus Christi Police Department at 886-2841. 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.

Corpus Christi Police  with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Office and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms arrested two men at a home on the 800 block of Indiana Avenue for warrants for a Capital Murder which occurred February 16, 2014 in the 4700 block of Cheryl Drive.

Corpus Christi Police were called to the 4700 block of Cheryl Drive in reference to a shooting on February 16, 2014 at about 11:19pm. Officers arrived and found two-year old LillyAnna Valent and six-year-old Nevaeh Oliva were killed by multiple gunshots fired into the home by multiple unknown suspects.

The Corpus Christi Police Department Robbery/Homicide Detectives, Gang unit, Narcotics and Forensics units continuously worked in coordination in order to develop probable cause. Witness statements, physical evidence, tips from the public, and assistance from the District Attorney’s Office were collected to secure arrest warrants for two suspects:

• ·         26-year-old Brendon Andrew Gaytan (5/9/1987) charged with Capital Murder (Penal Code Section 19.03)

• ·         22-year-old Cruz Salazar (8/20/1991) charged with Capital Murder (Penal Code Section 19.03)

Officers with the U.S. Marshals Task Force assisted Corpus Christi Police Detectives to locate and arrest both suspects at a residence on the 800 block of Indiana Avenue at 1:30am on February 28, 2014. The bond amount for each suspect is $2 million dollars.

The Corpus Christi Police Department thanks the community for information provided to Investigators.  The investigation of this case continues and anyone with any additional information is encouraged to provide that information to Investigators through Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS (8477) or online at www.888TIPS.com.

The Corpus Christi Police has one unsolved homicide for 2014 which is the murder of Mr. Duhart on Martin Luther King Drive. Anyone with information about that crime should call Crime Stoppers to provide Investigators with tips.

On February 9^th at approximately 9:52 am, Corpus Christi Police Officers and Corpus Christi Fire Department Medics responded to a residence on the 500 block of 18^th Street to investigate a report of a dog bite with injuries.  Upon arriving, Officers and Medics discovered a 22 year old man with multiple bite injuries to the arms and legs.  The victim told Officers that he had been attacked by a pack of three to five dogs, and pointed out a residence where the dogs had returned to following the vicious attack. The victim was taken by private vehicle to Spohn Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries.  A fireman at the scene told police officers that the dogs were loose when the medics arrived and pointed out a residence where two of the dogs had been taken.  Corpus Christi Animal Control Officers responded to MMC and contacted the victim, who told ACOs that he had been walking down the street when he was attacked by a pack of three to five dogs and at least two came from the same residence.  ACOs photographed the man’s injuries and then went to the scene of the attack where they contacted a woman.  The woman, who was in possession of one of two dogs that attacked the man, initially denied the dog belonged to her, denied living at the address, claimed the dog had been restrained the whole time, and claimed that the other dogs were strays.  A police officer at the scene told ACOs that she had seen the dog loose when she arrived on scene and a neighbor told officers that the second dog had been driven away from the home by another woman.   Officers impounded that dog, a female pit-bull mix, at the scene and transported it to Animal Shelter to be held for the mandatory ten day quarantine period.   ACOs checked the address and discovered there had been nine previous complaints of aggressive dog calls, including complaints from City Code Enforcement Officers and US Postal Carriers.  Most calls indicated that the dog owners allowed their dogs to run loose and that they were becoming progressively more aggressive toward citizens living in the neighborhood.  ACOs were able to identify the person who took the second dog, also a pit-bull mix, from the scene, contacted her and convinced her to bring the dog to Animal Control for the ten day quarantine.  That woman told officers that the dog belonged to her son, who was in jail.  The dog had no registration tag, no microchip, or tattoo to properly identify the owner.

Animal Control Officers contacted the resident of the address to attempt to impound the outstanding two dogs. The woman agreed to surrender the dog, but failed to follow through on her agreement.  The remaining two dogs from the vicious attack were never found.

Animal Control Officers checked records and could not find any record of any animal being registered to anyone at the address where the dogs lived.  Officers further checked and could not find any registration under any of the names given by any of the women.

Both dogs were kept in quarantine at Animal Care Services.  During this time period, both dogs were evaluated by Shelter Vet Dr. M. Draper, who determined both dogs were highly aggressive and recommended they be deemed as Dangerous Dogs under the Texas Health and Safety Code.  On February 19^th at 10:11 am the male dog was euthanized by Animal Care Services staff.  This was past the 240 hour state required quarantine period.

On February 20^th, the female pit-bull, was released to the woman who admitted ownership at the beginning.  Animal Care Services Staff failed to notify the alleged owner of male pit-bull mix that the dog was going to be euthanized and offer her one last opportunity to prove ownership.  The ACO who euthanized the dog mistakenly believed that the dog had been “surrendered” by the owner.

Animal Care Services admits that this entire incident could have been handled better and offers our apologies.  An internal investigation is underway to determine what possible departmental policy was violated and create a procedure to prevent this from happening again.