Occurred on 10/15/12, 8:10am Minor Accident 1310 Espinosa Street C1207850
Officers responded to a motor vehicle accident with a house at 1310 Espinosa Street. Upon their arrival, Officers contacted the 52-year-old female driver who told Officers she accidentally stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake. The tan Jeep Cherokee struck the front of her residence causing minor damage.
The driver and her 26-year-old female passenger were uninjured.
Occurred on 10/14/12, 5:10pm Burglary of a Vehicle 1100 Zarsky Drive 1210140108
Officers responded to the 1100 block of Zarsky for a burglary of a vehicle in progress in which the suspect was being detained by the homeowner. Upon their arrival, Officers found the homeowner had the suspect William Dowell Lutes (12/16/79) sitting in his front yard.
Further investigation revealed the victim was inside his home when he heard his dog barking very loudly from the garage. Once outside, he observed Lutes getting out of his white Buick Regal. Lutes began walking away when the victim grabbed him and ordered him to sit down until Police arrived. He did not put up a struggle and complied with the homeowner’s request.
Lutes was arrested and charged with Burglary of a Vehicle along with an outstanding Parole Violation Warrant. “No Bond” was set on the warrant.
Occurred on 10/14/12, 11:27 pm Possession of a Controlled Substance 13330 SPID 1210140154
Officers at the Flour Bluff substation observed a maroon Kia Optima pull into the Shell Service Station and park at the gas pumps. The driver sat at the pumps for a while and met with the driver of a silver hatchback. Shortly thereafter, both drivers took off in opposite directions.
The Optima was pulled over for a traffic violation at the 13300 block of S. Padre Island Drive. The Officers observed a capped syringe in Mario Alberto Bazan’s (05/27/65) shirt pocket and several pills were also found on his person. Officers requested the assistance of Senior Officer J. Lavastida and his K-9 partner Indy. Indy alerted to several small zip lock baggies containing Heroin and Cocaine underneath the driver along with Drug Paraphernalia.
Bazan was arrested and charged with two counts of Possession of Dangerous Drugs, two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was also cited for Failing to Stop before the Stop Sign, Failure to Signal 100 feet before Turning, and Failure to Display a Driver’s License.
Occurred on 10/14/12, 10:25pm Driving While Intoxicated 4700 Kostoryz Road 1210140143
Officers observed a Ford pick-up truck hit a parked red Dodge Neon in the parking lot of the Times Market at 4702 Kostoryz Road. The Neon was unoccupied as the owner was inside the store. The truck driver, Carlos Garza Jr. (07/20/43) didn’t stop and drove off.
Upon observing Garza drive off, the owner of the Neon ran out of the store and chased after the truck, trying to get the driver to stop.Officers pulled over the truck over a short distance away and contacted Garza who appeared to be intoxicated. He was administered Standard Field Sobriety Tests and a Blood Draw was obtained.
Garza was arrested and charged with Driving While Intoxicated, Duty on Striking Unattended Vehicle, Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility, and No Driver’s License.
Occurred on 10/14/12, 3:00am Driving While Intoxicated S.P.I.D./Nile 1210140037
The Corpus Christi Police Department is currently investigating the arrest of an off-duty Corpus Christi Police Officer early Sunday morning. The preliminary investigation has revealed the following.
On October 14, 2012, at approximately 3:00 am, a Corpus Christi Police Officer observed a vehicle driving unsafely and pulled it over. The Officer observed signs of intoxication from the driver and recognized him as a CCPD Officer.
The Officers’ investigation developed probable cause that Hector Corona (12/12/63) had operated a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Corona was arrested and a warrant for a blood specimen was obtained.
As per department protocol, Corona a 17 year veteran of the Corpus Christi Police Department was placed on restricted duty while an internal investigation is conducted regarding his off-duty conduct. While on restricted duty, the officer will have no public interaction or enforcement responsibilities.
Chief Floyd Simpson who recently announced the department’s holiday anti-drinking and driving campaign will not tolerate drinking and driving in our community, regardless of who may be involved.
The investigation is ongoing and any updates will be released by the Public Information Office as they become available.
Occurred Friday, October 3, 2011, 10241 South Padre Island Drive, Theft, 1110030094
A felony arrest warrant has been issued for the apprehension of Leza Avril Chandler (7/16/1975), the former owner of Cha Cha Events, for theft. The complaint includes 11 victims of the theft in which the total loss amounts to $48,318.73.
Several individuals complained to the Corpus Christi Police Department that payments were made to Chandler to schedule events with Cha Cha Events located at 10241 South Padre Island Drive and Chandler closed the business and left town without completing the contracts or returning the money.
The events that were scheduled with Chandler were weddings and many attempts were made to allow Chandler to provide service or return the money she received. A criminal complaint against Chandler was made and the felony warrant for Chandler’s arrest was completed October 5, 2012 for the offense of theft.
Chandler is described as a 37-year-old Black woman, 5ft. 5 inches tall, 175 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information to locate Chandler should call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS (8477) or submit an online tip to www.888TIPS.com. If the information leads to Chandler’s arrest it could earn you a cash reward.
Occurred Friday, October 12, 2012, 12:13pm, 5015 Ayers Street, Aggravated Robbery, 1210120060
Corpus Christi Police are searching for a bank robber Friday after a man entered the Compass Bank on Ayers, displayed a handgun, and left with money from the bank.
A man wore a bandana over his face and entered the bank in the Mission Shopping Center a little after noon on Friday, displayed a handgun and demanded all the customers to lay on the floor. The man demanded money from the tellers, and then left the bank. No one was injured in the robbery.
The man was last seen running west from the bank toward the Cross-town Expressway. The man is described as a white man who stood about 6 foot tall, about 190 pounds, wore a brown cap, green plaid shirt, blue jeans and gloves. The man wore a bandana on his face to conceal his identity.
Anyone with additional information about this crime should call the Corpus Christi Police Robbery/Homicide Detectives at 886-2600. Anonymous tips about the crime can be provided to Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at www.888TIPS.com.
The Corpus Christi Police Department’s Professional Standards and Internal Affairs Investigators will relocate their offices off site from the Police Headquarters Building to an independent building located at 5805 Williams.
The Internal Affairs Unit is tasked to investigate all complaints, inquiries, and commendable actions to a logical conclusion that involve the sworn members of the police department. The Department strives to identify methods to provide quality service to customers in an open and transparent manner.
The purpose for the relocation is to have the unit in a more comfortable environment for the public to address concerns or questions that involve officer conduct with the investigators. This relocation is the completion of Short Term Goal 3 of the 2010 Strategic Plan for the Corpus Christi Police Department.
The Unit will be fully operational at 5805 Williams Drive on Monday, October 15, 2012 at 8am.
The Corpus Christi Police Department announces a contest that ends November 12, 2012 for High School students ages 15-18 years old in which the winners will receive a new ipad and have their entry displayed on a billboard in Corpus Christi.
The contest is to design a new anti-drunk driving advertising campaign. Contest winners will be in two categories; for the best slogan and for the best 2 dimensional artwork. The contest entries must be submitted to the High School the student attends or to the Police Department no later than November 12, 2012.
The contest entries will be judged by a group designated by Police Chief Floyd Simpson. Judges will not know the name of the contestant nor will they know which school the student attends when the contest entries are judged. The two first place winners will receive ipads. The second place winners will receive itouchs, and the third place winners will receive nanopods. The contest winners will have their entry displayed on billboards in Corpus Christi through the month of December.
The contest is open to all students of a High School in Corpus Christi or accredited home school in Corpus Christi. Those interested in the contest should visit www.cctexas.com/police/contest.html for information and to download an entry form.
This is an opportunity for new drivers to use their creativity to make the streets a safer place to drive.
The Citizens police Academy Alumni delivered approximately $6,000 worth of equipment to the Corpus Christi Police Department Thursday at the Police Headquarters.
The equipment was purchased by the Citizens Police Academy Alumni for the Gang Unit, Patrol, and the Criminal Investigations Division. The equipment includes cameras, recorders, and rip hobbles which were not able to be funded by the police budget. The money to buy the equipment was raised throughout the year in fundraiser events by the Citizens Police Academy Alumni to support the Corpus Christi Police Department.
The Citizens Police Academy Alumni is a group of citizens who have completed the Citizens Police Academy hosted by the Corpus Christi Police Department. The course is several weeks in length and is an educational partnership between citizens and police officers to explore the problems and challenges of law enforcement.
Graduates of the course are better equipped to assess safety issues and share with others their knowledge of law enforcement practices and policies. Many graduates of the course have formed a group known as the Citizens Police Academy Alumni for the purpose to support the Police Department. There are currently about 100 members of the Citizens Police Academy Alumni.
Anyone interested in the Citizens Police Academy may contact the Citizens Police Academy coordinator, Senior Officer Denise Pace, at 4510 Corona Drive or call 361-826-4073 for information. Applications of the program can be downloaded from the Corpus Christi Police Department website.
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