Community Outreach

City Road Closures for February 16-22, 2013

Contributed by Charlie Cardenas, P.E., Traffic Engineering  

Chaparral Street and Schatzell Street Intersection

Monday – Friday

Schatzell Street:  From Shoreline Boulevard, Schatzell Street westbound traffic will be detoured onto Water Street.  In addition, Schatzell Street will close to through traffic between Water Street and Mesquite Street.  Parking will be permitted on this section of Schatzell Street.

Chaparral Street:  Chaparral Street will become a two-way between Lawrence Street and Schatzell Street where parking will be allowed on this section of Chaparral Street.  Motorists need to be aware of vehicles entering and exiting this section of Chaparral Street at the Lawrence Street intersection.

McBride Lane (Between Leopard Street and IH-37 Eastbound Frontage Road)

Monday – Friday

Construction is temporarily suspended and all streets are open to through traffic.

Kostoryz Road

Saturday – Friday

Contractors will work on Kostoryz Road between South Padre Island Drive (S.P.I.D.) and Mansheim Boulevard.  During this period, there will be various lane shifts and traffic will be reduced to one through lane in each direction.  Upon completion, traffic between S.P.I.D and Gollihar Road will be shifted onto the northbound lanes and reduced to one through lane in each direction.

In addition, traffic on eastbound McArdle Road will be shifted to the westbound lane where traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction through the Kostoryz Road intersection.

New – Staples Street (Williams Street to Saratoga Boulevard)

Saturday – Friday

Holly Road:

Until further notice, left turns are restricted on Holly Road from northbound Staples Street. Southbound Staples Street drivers on cannot turn left onto Holly Road and right turns will be restricted when the traffic signal is on red.  There are no turning restrictions for westbound and eastbound drivers on Holly Road onto Staples Street but no left turns are allowed from northbound Staples Street at Williams Drive.

Wooldridge Road:  The Wooldridge Road traffic through the Staples Street intersection will be shifted onto the westbound lanes and reduced to one through lane in each direction.  There are no left turns from both northbound and southbound Staples Street onto Wooldridge Road.

Staples Street:  Contractors will shift the southbound Staples Street traffic onto the northbound lane reducing traffic to one through lane in each direction from the Moore Plaza entrance through the Williams Drive intersection.  Southbound drivers will have dedicated right turn while northbound drivers will have a dedicated right turn lane at Williams Drive, but no left turns are permitted.

On Staples Street, from Woodridge Road to north of Holly Road, there are two lanes of traffic open in each direction.  Staples Street traffic, between Cain Drive and Bonner Drive, will be shifted onto the northbound lanes and traffic reduced to one through lane in each direction.

Bonner Drive, Cain Drive, or Curtis Clark Drive:  Cain Drive, Bonner Drive, or Curtis Clark Drive may be periodically closed at the Staples Street intersection.  Motorists will be detoured onto Burton Lane.  In addition, when one street is closed, the other may be reduced to one lane with flaggers to direct traffic.  Once work is completed, each street will be closed for 10 days to pour concrete and allow the pavement to cure.

Criminal Investigations Division

Police Arrest Murder Suspect on Traffic Stop on Up River Road

Update to Case #1302110002, Murder, Morgan Avenue at 15th Street

The Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitives Task Force Arrested 29-year-old Anthony Diaz (9/21/1983) for Murder Wednesday afternoon on a traffic stop on Up River Road and Villa Drive.

The Corpus Christi Police Department Robbery/Homicide Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Diaz in relation to the murder Monday morning at Morgan Avenue and 15th Street. The bond on the warrant was set at $1 Million dollars.

The Corpus Christi Police Department thanks the members of the community who were able to provide information about this crime.

Traffic Safety Division

Morgan Avenue Utility Work

The City of Corpus Christi Traffic Engineering office advises citizens beginning Thursday, February 14 through Friday, March 8, 2013; weather permitting, contractors will install a utility waterline on Morgan Avenue from Port Avenue to 25th Street.   During this period, westbound Morgan Avenue traffic will be periodically reduced to one lane of traffic through the work area.

Traffic control devices will guide motorists through the construction site.  While the work is underway, motorists should expect delays and if possible are advised to seek alternate routes to avoid the area.  Motorists should 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.

Bravo District

Police Investigate Latest Homicide

On February 12, 2013 at approximately 8:34pm, Officers from the Corpus Christi Police Department responded to Bay Area Hospital for a walk-in stabbing victim.  Officers were told by medical staff that the 24-year-old man had sustained a stab wound to the chest which proved fatal.  Corpus Christi Homicide/Robbery Detectives were called to assist and  are currently investigating the man’s death as a homicide.

Further investigation revealed the victim had been robbed earlier in the evening.  As he and a friend walked to a local eatery they encountered the robbery suspect at Waldron Road and Fawn Drive.  The man attempted to get his money back from the suspect and a scuffle ensued.  The victim was stabbed during the confrontation and taken by his friend to the hospital.

The suspect is described as thin White male, 35 to 45 years of age, 5’11” to 6′ feet tall and weighing 160 to 180 lbs.  He was last wearing a light-colored shirt and blue jeans.

Detectives are asking anyone who may have noticed any suspicious activity or have any information on this crime to call Corpus Christi Homicide/Robbery Detectives at 361-886-2841.  If callers would like to remain anonymous they can call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS.  A tip may also be submitted online at www.888TIPS.com .  Tipsters may earn a cash reward if the suspect involved in this crime is arrested.

Traffic Safety Division

Road Work Update for Staples Street Traffic

The City of Corpus Christi Traffic Engineering office advises citizens beginning Wednesday, February 13, 2013, for approximately two months, weather permitting; contractors will be doing major utility and road construction on Staples Street between Saratoga Boulevard and Esplanade Drive.

While this project is underway, this section of Staples Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction and no left turns will be permitted onto eastbound Saratoga Boulevard from southbound Staples Street.  In addition, there will only be one eastbound left turning lane available for motorists to turn onto northbound Staples Street.

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

In Memory of Fallen Officer – Sgt. Frank Dolan

Sgt. Frank Dolan
Sgt. Frank Dolan
Today marks the 53rd Anniversary of Sergeant Frank Dolan’s In the Line of Duty Death.

On February 12, 1960 Sergeant Frank Dolan was killed in an automobile accident on Highway 624, near Orange Grove, while returning to Corpus Christi from a meeting in Alice.

His vehicle went out of control on a curve in the road during a period of snow and slushy conditions. His car was broadsided by another vehicle, causing him to suffer fatal injuries.

Sergeant Dolan was a U.S. Navy veteran and had served with the Corpus Christi Police Department for 24 years. He was survived by his wife and three children.

Read more: http://www.odmp.org/officer/21563-sergeant-frank-edward-dolan#ixzz2KiZb6qk6

Delta District

Four Taken to Local Hospitals, Woman Charged with DWI

MelissaLopezOccurred on 2/12/13, 1:05am  Driving While Intoxicated  5400 Carroll Lane  1302120003

Police were called to 5400 Carroll Lane for an accident in which the children inside a gold Dodge Durango were being driven away.  Officers arrived to find the Durango had rear-ended a blue Chevrolet Cavalier.  The impact caused the Cavalier to spin, jump the curb and come to a stop in the grass.  The Durango continued traveling southbound on Carroll Lane and hit a tree.

A witness told Police the driver Melissa Lopez (09/27/82) was last seen running through the Carroll Lane Apartments.  Lopez was found by Officers and escorted back to accident scene.

Further investigation revealed that when Lopez was unable to drive off, she removed the Durango’s license plates. She also asked a family member driving behind her to take her 4 and 6-year-olds who were in the SUV at the time of the accident.  The two young girls were taken to Driscoll Children’s Hospital where they were treated for facial injuries.

The 59-year-old driver of the Cavalier and the 52-year-old passenger were both taken to Spohn Memorial by CCFD Emergency Personnel with serious injuries.

Lopez who appeared intoxicated was administered Standard Field Sobriety Tests and a Blood Specimen taken.  She was also positively identified by witnesses and placed under arrest.  Lopez was charged with Driving While Intoxicated~With Child, Resisting Arrest, and Driving While License Suspended/Invalid.

Criminal Investigations Division

Warrant Obtained in Bentwood Lane Murder

DavidDasheillChristyCorpus Christi Police Homicide/Robbery Detectives have obtained two warrants for the February 4, 2013 death of a 77-year-old Corpus Christi woman.

The woman’s grandson David Dasheill Christy (02/13/85) was originally arrested and charged with Assault~Bodily Injury~Public Servant, Evading Arrest, and Resisting Arrest the same day Christy’s grandmother was first reported missing and found murdered.

The investigation was presented to  the Nueces County District Attorney’s Office and two warrants for Murder and Tampering with Evidence were obtained.

Christy who was still in custody at the Nueces County Jail was served with the two warrants.  A $200,000 bond was set on the Murder charge and a $100,000 bond on the Tampering with Evidence charge.

For additional information on the original post visit our CCPD Blotter at http://wp.me/p1D8kP-37R.

Delta District

Homicide Detectives Need Your Help to Identify Two Men

http://youtu.be/ut0fFKL0TTQ and http://youtu.be/3EYf4x_pzWk

Occurred 02/11/13, 12:07am  Murder    15th Street at Morgan Avenue   1302110002

Corpus Christi Police were called to the area to investigate a shooting.  Upon their arrival,  Officers found a man who appeared to be seriously injured. The man was immediately taken to Spohn Memorial by CCFD Emergency Personnel.   The man did not survive his injuries.

Corpus Christi Police are now searching for two men who were in a maroon 4-door Pontiac Grand Am who detectives believe may have some information concerning the 36-year-old man’s death.

Corpus Christi Police Detectives believe one of the men in the Pontiac was about 5 foot 8 inches tall, about 220 pounds, and wore a hoodie.

Anyone with any additional information about this crime should call Corpus Christi Police Homicide Detective D. Perez at 361-886-2676.  Information may also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS (8477) or online at www.888TIPS.com.

Charlie District, Patrol Division

Police Arrest Two Men For Graffiti On Holly Road

Occurred Sunday, February 10, 2013, 22:31, 4000 Holly Road, Graffiti, 1302100139

Two men were arrested Sunday night on the 4000 block of Holly Road for causing an estimated $2,000 dollars worth of damage by graffiti.

A Corpus Christi Police Patrol Officer saw two men walk toward a business at the 4000 block of Holly near Weber Road. The officer is aware of a problem with graffiti in the area and chose to park his patrol car and follow the two men behind the business.

The officer saw the two men in the process of marking graffiti on the business and a dumpster. The Patrol Officer grabbed the two men and placed them under arrest for graffiti. Seventeen year old Raymond Cardona (10/22/1995) and Seventeen year old Gabriel Cramberg (11/22/1995) were arrested for graffiti, a Class A Misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and up to a $4,000 fine.

Corpus Christi Police Patrol Officers drove Holly Road and found other graffiti that they connected to Cramberg and Cardona. Cardona and Cramberg were then delivered to the city detention center.

Corpus Christi Police Daily Blotter