Bravo District, Community Outreach, Patrol Division

Corpus Christi Police Start Marine Safety Patrol

 

Corpus Christi Police Officers Jon McGinley (left) and Josh Swain (right) now serve as Marine Safety Enforcement Officers in cooperation with Game Warden Jimmy Lindsey (center)

 

The Corpus Christi boaters will see an additional police presence this Labor Day Weekend.

Corpus Christi Police Officers Josh Swain and Jon McGinley have recently been trained and certified by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as Marine Safety Enforcement Officers. These Corpus Christi Police Officers now have the ability to enforce all safety laws from the Water Safety Act and will patrol the water ways in Corpus Christi.

The Marine Safety Enforcement Officers will address the loud noise complaints from boats, speeding and hazardous boat operations, hunting and fishing violations, and boating while intoxicated violations.

The training and the equipment for this effort has been in cooperation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Corpus Christi Gulf Beach Rescue at no additional cost to taxpayers. The officers work in cooperation with Game Wardens for the purpose to promote water safety in the Corpus Christi area.

Corpus Christi has miles of waterfront property that include the Corpus Christi Marina, North Beach, Corpus Christi Bay, the Canals of Tropic Isles in Flour Bluff, the Canals of Padre Isles on Padre Island, the Intracoastal Waterway, the recreational ski basin, and the Corpus Christi jurisdiction reaches 3 miles off shore in the Gulf Coast waters off Padre Island.

The new Corpus Christi Police Marine Safety Enforcement Officers check a fisherman for safety equipment at Packery Channel
Delta District

Man Kidnapped and Robbed, Two Men Arrested

Vernon Hemphill
Curtis Curt Terrell

Occurred on 8/28/12, 5:22 pm  Kidnapping/Aggravated Robbery    522 N. Tancahua   1208280112

Officers responded to the Wells Fargo Bank Motor Bank after a customer sent the teller a written message on a check to call police.  Upon their arrival, Officers observed several males the silver PT Cruiser in the drive thru and blocked it in.

Further investigation revealed the victim had been assaulted and robbed of him money after agreeing to drive one of the men home.  The victim told Officers he drank a few beers with the man when another man arrived at the home and threatened to kill the victim.  The man assaulted the victim with a piece of wood causing a laceration his eye and chin.

The two men drove the victim to the bank and were forcing the victim to withdraw money from his bank account when police arrived.

Vernon Hemphill (12/11/89) and Curtis Curt Terrell (08/23/48) were both arrested and charged with Aggravated Kidnapping and Aggravated Robbery.  Terrell was additionally charged with an outstanding warrant.

The victim was treated at the scene by CCFD Emergency Personnel.

Charlie District, Criminal Investigations Division, Patrol Division

Police Search For Missing 12 Year Old Girl

Cameron Hernandez

Occurred Tuesday, August 28, 2012, 21:00, 4100 Brett Street, Missing child 1208280161

The Corpus Christi Police Department are searching for a missing 12-year-old child that was last seen on the 4100 block of Brett Street at 7:30 pm on August 28, 2012.

A 28-year-old woman told police her 12-year-old daughter went for a jog inside an apartment complex at 7:30 pm and had not returned home. The 28-year-old woman said she and her daughter had moved to Corpus Christi on July 30, 2012 and had not met many people. The woman said there was no event of discipline or conflict that would have contributed to cause the girl to run away from home.

The 12-year-old girl, Cameron Hernandez, is a Hispanic female, 5 ft. 1 inch tall, 100 pounds, with dyed red hair, brown eyes and was last seen wearing a white tank top shirt, silver basketball shorts, black Nike running shoes, and a camouflaged Camelback water carrier. The 12-year-old girl is enrolled in 6th grade at Tom Browne Middle School.

Anyone with any information to locate Cameron should call the Corpus Christi Police Department at 886-2670.

Delta District, Patrol Division

Man Steals Car From Woman In Town For Job Interview

Occurred Tuesday, August 28, 2012, 2:00am, 600 Leopard Street, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle 1208280051

Corpus Christi Police arrested a 33-year-old man after he was found driving a vehicle taken hours earlier from an 18-year-old woman.

An 18 year old woman told police that she and several friends came to Corpus Christi from Nacogdoches to interview for jobs. The 18-year-old and her friends went to a bar on the sea wall after the interviews and met 33-year-old Gerry Brooks (2/9/1979).

Brooks offered to drive the friends around town and to a bar on Leopard Street. The friends agreed and got out of the car at a bar on the 600 block of Leopard Street. The 18-year-old woman said Brooks left alone in her silver 2003 Mitsubishi Gallant.

The 18-year-old woman reported her car valued at $2,500 stolen to the Corpus Christi Police at 10:30am when she was able to gather the vehicle information to provide to police.

Corpus Christi Patrol Officers found the stolen vehicle moving on South Alameda at Cole Street at 1:18pm. Patrol officers stopped and arrested Brooks for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, a state jail felony punishable by up to 2 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

The vehicle was returned to the 18-year-old woman.

Corpus Christi Police warn the public not to allow strangers to operate your vehicle. Have the vehicle information like the Vehicle Identification Number available for police to avoid delayed reporting if the vehicle gets stolen. One method may be to enter the information on a phone or email with included pictures of the vehicle stored in a place readily accessible.

Community Outreach

PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT FOR NUECES COUNTY RESIDENTS

August 28, 2012

From:  Roeanne Peppard, Health District Information Aide, 361-826-7292; email RoeanneP@cctexas.com

Contact Person:  William Burgin, Jr., M.D., Local Health Authority, 633-1324 

 

PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT FOR NUECES COUNTY RESIDENTS

            The Corpus Christi – Nueces County Public Health District reports that it has received confirmation of the first West Nile death in a human from the Texas Department of State Health Services.  This is the first confirmed death of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Nueces County in 2012.  Nueces County has been upgraded to Risk Level 4, indicating that the probability of human outbreak of WNV is at a higher risk.

            According to health officials, the patient was a female between the ages of 45 and 60 who was hospitalized locally and then transferred to a neighboring city hospital due to co-morbidities.  The patient’s condition worsened and patient expired on Monday, August 27, 2012.

Dr.  William Burgin, Jr., Local Health Authority, alerts all residents to take necessary preventative measures to lower their risk.   “Stay indoors from dusk to dawn when mosquitos are most active.  If you must be outdoors during these times, dress in pants and long-sleeves and apply insect repellent that contains DEET”, states Dr. Burgin.

            According to Dr. Mobley, Local Health Authority for San Patricio County, “WNV risk is high between neighboring counties even though we have not had a positive human case”.  Because mosquitos can travel on people, in vehicles, etc., Dr. Mobley is advising San Patricio citizens as well as neighboring counties to follow the listed precautions.

            West Nile Virus is a disease spread by the bite of an infected mosquito, rather than

by person-to-person contact.  In Texas, there have been 783 human cases reported of West Nile Virus and a total of 31 deaths in 2012.  Nueces County has had three human cases and one death in 2012.

Health Officials advise residents to follow the 4 Ds:

  • Dusk and Dawn are the times of day to avoid outdoor activities
  • Dress in long sleeves and pants when outside
  • DEET is an ingredient to look for in an insect repellent
  • Drain standing water in old tires, flowerpots and clogged rain gutters

Residents can keep mosquitoes outside by fixing or installing window and door screens.

Not everyone who gets infected with WNV will have any symptoms.  Up to 20 percent of people who become infected have symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last for as short as a few days, even though healthy people have become sick for several weeks.

Serious symptoms in a few people include high fever, headache, neck stiffness stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may bepermanent.

Approximately 80 percent of people (about 4 out of 5) who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all.

Health District officials urge anyone who is experiencing these symptoms should see their doctor.  Although all Nueces County residents and neighboring areas are at risk of getting West Nile Virus, persons over 50 years of age have the highest risk of severe disease.

Traffic Safety Division

CCPD officers are watching school zones

Although school has only been in session for two days CCPD has already issued over 100 citations in school zones. Focus your attention on the road and don’t use your cell phone in the school zones.  Please slow it down and pay attention to our students as they make their way to and from school.

Criminal Intelligence Unit

Man Receives 17 Year Prison Sentence for Soliciting a Minor Online

Mathews Christian Owens
07/06/75

On 8/27/12, Matthew Owens, a 36-year-old Houston man, pled guilty in Judge Jose Longoria’s court to Online Solicitation of a Minor and received a 17 year prison sentence.  

In September of 2011, Owens began communicating via the internet with what he believed to be a 12-year-old girl.  Through numerous conversations, Owens arranged to travel to Corpus Christi from his home in Houston and have sex with the 12-year-old. 

Owens also committed lewd acts via webcam while he believed he was communicating with the girl.  In March of 2012, Owens arrived in Corpus Christi and attempted to meet with the girl at which time he was arrested by detectives with CCPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.  Owens brought his 9 and 12-year-old daughters with him while he attempted to meet her.  The case was prosecuted by the Nueces County District Attorney’s Office. 

CCPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was assisted in this investigation by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations.  I.C.A.C. Task Force Supervisor Captain James Brandon recommends visiting http://www.netsmart.org/Parents which provides internet safety tips for parents and guardians.

 
 
 

 

Bravo District, Community Outreach, Criminal Investigations Division

Three Men Injured During Home Invasion

Occurred on 8/28/12, 4:23 am   Aggravated Assault    15600 Cruiser      1208280018/1208280023 

Officers responded to Bay Area Hospital for a walk-in assault victim who been taken to the hospital by his roommate.  Upon their arrival, Officers found the victim being treated with serious facial and head injuries.   

Further investigation revealed, the three victims were asleep when several masked men entered the residence and began assaulting them.  The men demanded the victims’ money and fled taking one of the victim’s silver 2003 Mercedes CK5. 

The 22-year-old victim was transferred from Bay Area to Spohn Memorial due to the seriousness of his injuries. The other two victims, 22 and 23 years of age were treated by CCFD Emergency Personnel and released.

Anyone with any information on this crime is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS or submit a tip online at www.888TIPS.com.  Callers will earn a cash reward if the suspects are arrested.

Community Outreach, Patrol Division, Traffic Safety Division

Do You Need a Car for your Labor Day Getaway? Stop By and Check Out our Monthly Auction

The C.C.P.D.’s commitment to “Keep Corpus Christi Safe” has continued with its
“Zero Tolerance No Insurance Initiative”

On Saturday, September 1, 2012, a total of 86 cars, trucks, and motorcycles will be auctioned at the Corpus Christi Police Department new Vehicle Impound Lot located at 5485 Greenwood Drive during our monthly auction. The new site has four paved acres for an auction lot. 

Approximately 16 of these vehicles are “No Insurance” impounds. On Friday, August 31, 2012, the general public will be allowed to register and view the vehicles to be auctioned from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There is no registration fee.

On the day of the auction, the general public can continue to register and view the vehicles from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The auction will commence promptly at 10:00 a.m. on September 1, 2012.   The vehicles to be auctioned can be viewed at www.siskauction.com. An auction list may also be downloaded from the same website.

The department’s strong stand and enforcement of this “Zero Tolerance No Insurance Initiative” will continue and all vehicles involved in accidents will be impounded and the driver cited if they are unable to provide financial proof of insurance. Driver’s license and proof of financial responsibility checkpoints will continue to be conducted at the Shift Captains’ authorization.

Officers issued 5,509 citations and impounded 1,212 vehicles for Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility during 2011. During August 1-27, 2012, Officers issued 266 citations for Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility and impounded 61 vehicles for the same charge.

Delta District

Homeless Man Found Deceased

Occurred on 8/27/12, 8:36 a.m.  DOA  911 Park Avenue  1208270053

Police were dispatched to a reported “man down” call for service AND found an unresponsive 47-year-old White male underneath some trees, lying close to a hurricane fence.  CCPD Emergency Medical Personnel determined that the male had no vital signs.

Detectives from the Homicide/Robbery Bureau were called to the scene and are investigating the man’s death. The deceased was taken to the Nueces County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the exact cause of his death.  The name of the deceased will be released by the Nueces County Medical Examiner’s Office upon confirmation on his identity, and notification of next of kin. 

Anyone with any information on this matter is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS or submit a tip online at www.888TIPS.com. 

 

Corpus Christi Police Daily Blotter