The Corpus Christi Police Property Crimes Investigator supervisor, Lieutenant James Garrett, offered a new process to file shoplifting cases from local stores the monthly Corpus Christi Against Loss meeting hosted by the The Corpus Christi Police Department at the La Palmera Mall Wednesday.
The Corpus Christi Against Loss monthly meetings are held every third Wednesday at 10:00am at the La Palmera Mall. The meetings are attended by the loss prevention representatives, district managers for local businesses, and by Corpus Christi Police supervisors. The purpose of the meetings is to disseminate and exchange information about property crime trends and identify criminals.
Lieutenant James Garrett provided envelopes to the loss prevention representatives that outline needed material and evidence in order to successfully prosecute shoplifting cases. Lieutenant Garrett said this effort to streamline information will provide speedy trials and successful prosecutions for those arrested for theft. The checklist of items required for prosecution is printed on the outside of the envelope so that the items are to be placed inside the envelope for the district attorneys presentation in court.
The items required in the envelope for prosecution include store video and receipts which the police officers are unable to access without assistance from store employees. This checklist on the envelope is a system to prevent mistake or incomplete packages of information that delays and reduces the prosecution of offenders.
District Attorney Skurka made an appearance this Wednesday to provide the district attorneys office perspective on the new process to file criminal cases against those that commit theft. All in attendance agreed that the goal is successful prosectutions of all offenders.
Occurred on 7/25/12, 11:30 pm Burglary of a Habitation/Possession of Marijuana 1625 15th 1207250004/1207250005
Officers responded to 1625 15th Street for a “home invasion” in which the suspects might still be inside the home. Upon their arrival, Officers found the homeowner sitting on the front steps of a neighbor’s house looking visibly shaken up. He told Officers he along with two friends were smoking Marijuana when two men entered his home through the back door demanding money. One of the men was armed with a gun. All three friends ran out the front door leaving the robbers inside.
The victim did not know if the suspects were inside his home and allowed Officers to check the home. Once inside, Police could still smell a strong odor of Marijuana and they determined the suspects had fled. In the process, Officers observed a baggie of Marijuana, a grinder along with pills on the kitchen table and the floor. The drugs and grinder were seized.
The three men told Officers they did not know the suspects. The first suspect is described as a tall Black male, 5’10” to 6’ feet tall and 180 to 200 lbs. He was last seen wearing a gray hoodie. The second suspect is described as a light-skinned Black male, 5’6” to 5’7” and weighing 140 to 160 lbs. He was last seen wearing a wool cap and armed with a handgun.
Anyone with any information on this crime is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS login in online at www.888TIPS.com. Tipsters will earn a cash reward if the suspects are arrested.
The investigation will continue into the burglary and seized drugs by both the Property Crimes Unit and the Narcotics and Vice Division.
Occurred on 7/24/12, 4:27 Major Accident with Pedestrian 2800 McKinzie C1205578
Officers were dispatched to an accident involving a pedestrian in the 2800 block of McKinzie. Upon their arrival, Officers were told by the 26-year-old driver of a black 2007 Chevrolet Silverado that he was traveling southbound on McKinzie when the 14-year-old juvenile ran across the street. Witness accounts confirmed the driver’s account.
The teenager struck the truck and fell back onto the sidewalk. The combative teen was taken to Driscoll Children’s Hospital by CCFD Emergency Personnel. His injuries wer non-life threatening.
Neither the driver, nor the pedestrian has been cited, but the accident is still under investigation by the Traffic Division.
Officers called to 2320 Baldwin Court for a vehicle parked in the handicap zone found a vehicle blocking the fire lane instead.
The driver Juan Luna Jr. (05/21/79) was found to have an outstanding warrant and arrested. He was charged with an outstanding Nueces County warrant #CR1102903G issued on 07/17/2012 for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
Occurred on 7/24/12, 7:03 pm Aggravated Assault 1403 N. Alameda 1207240160
Officers R. Montejano and E. Cano responded to a fight at 1403 N Alameda involving the parents of a group of children playing baseball. Upon their arrival the 38-year-old victim told Officers he was watching his wife play baseball with their kids when a man confronted him and accused him of trying to hit his son with a bat.
The victim’s 33-year-old wife, who was at bat, walked over and intervened, stepping in between the two males, but the 25-year-old suspect still managed to punch the victim in the head. The victim who was trying to enter his apartment to call police was knocked to the floor as the suspect continued to assault him. The suspect then threatened to stab him with a utility knife.
The suspect’s 29-year-old wife became involved and attacked the victim’s wife punching her in face and throwing a cup at her. The victim’s wife told Officers “Joe’s” wife is pregnant and refused to defend herself. “Joe’s” wife was uncooperative with police and denied her husband’s involvement telling them he was incarcerated.
The victim’s sustained minor injuries in the assault. The investigation is ongoing and will be investigated by the Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Bureau.
Occurred on 7/25/12, 3:38 am Possession of a Controlled Substance 2222 Airline 1207250027
Officers observed a vehicle parked in the alleyway behind the L & M Store with its lights off. Michelle Lorg (11/17/62) was found sitting in the driver’s seat. Further investigation revealed Lorg was in possession of a small plastic bag containing Methamphetamine and a pipe.
Lorg was arrested and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The drug charge is a State Jail Felony punishable by up to two years in jail and a $4,000 fine. The paraphernalia charge is a Class “C” Misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine.
Occurred on 7/24/12, 8:36 am Forgery of a Government Instrument/Money/Securities 701 N. Staples 1207240031
Officers A. Thurman and J. Luera responded to the Stripes Convenience Store at Staples and Leopard Streets for a Hispanic trying to pay with a counterfeit $100 dollar bill. Rene Tanguma (08/16/81) was detained in the parking lot by Officer Luera.
Officer Thurman contacted the store cashier who reported Tanguma stepped up to the counter to pay for beer and a cigar valued at $3.01 with a $100 dollar bill. The cashier told Officers the bill felt odd and it had not been cut correctly. She checked for the watermark and could not find one.
Tanguma was asked to wait while she got his change and police were called. Tanguma paid for the merchandise with a $5.00 dollar bill and walked out of the store when he was detained by police.
He was taken to the Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division and interviewed by Financial Crimes Detectives. Tanguma was arrested and charged with Forgery of a Government Instrument/Money/Securities which a 3rd Degree Felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Occurred on 7/23/12, 0715 am Driving While Intoxicated 3900 Montego 1207230030
Officers responded to a hit and run accident in the area of 3900 Montego Drive. A gold Cadillac had struck a parked Chevrolet pick-up truck which crashed into a wooden fence. The driver of the Cadillac had fled prior to Officers arrival.
While investigating the accident, the mother of the hit and run driver arrived and told Officers and that her son Daniel James Zamora (04/12/90) was responsible. She told Officers, Zamora called and told her he was involved in an accident and left because he was scared.
The mother provided Officers with her son’s information and he was contacted at 3909 Montego Drive. Zamora was administered Standard Field Sobriety Tests and a Blood Specimen taken. He was medically cleared and charged with Driving While Intoxicated. He was also cited for Unsafe Change from a Direct Course and Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility.
Occurred on 7/19/12, 3:33 am Driving While Intoxicated 1400 Airline Road 1207190029
Officers waiting for a prisoner transport were soon accompanied by a Supervisor conducting a traffic stop. The driver of a maroon 2003 Ford F-150 pulled into the Gulfway Shopping Center. Lt. P. McMenamy told the Officers he observed the female driver traveling at a high rate of speed as it traveled northbound on Airline toward the intersection at Airline at S.P.I.D. The driver slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting a vehicle that was stopped at the intersection causing the truck to fishtail.
The driver was able to stop and avoid a collision, but continued on until pulled over. When Officers contacted Sarah Mundahl (02/25/92) she appeared intoxicated and administered Standard Field Sobriety Tests and a Breath Test. Mundahl was arrested and charged with Driving While Intoxicated 3rd or More when it was found that she had two prior convictions for D.W.I. arrests in 2009 and 2010.
Corpus Christi Police Dive Team Members typically wear a full face mask and a dry suit as seen here on Dive Team member Travis Tirado.Police Diver Ross Murray discusses the lift system with instructor Steve Salach and Dive Team supervisor, Lieutenant Tom Nichols
The Corpus Christi Police Dive Team completed 40 hours of professional water rescue training last week with newly acquired equipment which was used to recover a vehicle that went into the Corpus Christi Marina Sunday night.
The Corpus Christi Police Dive Team received grant money to obtain equipment for light vehicle recovery and to have a trainer provide instruction for the proper and safe use of the equipment. Steve Salach is a corporate trainer for Dive Rescue International and came to Corpus Christi from Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the week to train the Corpus Christi Police Dive Team.
Salach said the dive teams throughout the nation are not classified by the skill level of the divers, but rather they are classified by the equipment they possess. Salach said the individual diver can have a broad variety of skills and capabilities, but the equipment is what makes the diver useful for emergency operations like the Corpus Christi Police Dive Team. Salach is primarily employed by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office as a Chief Diver and Trainer and began the week of training with individual diver safety.
The Corpus Christi Police Dive team began the 40 hour training session on July 16 at Labonte Park with a three-day class called Public Safety Diver Survival. The divers in Corpus Christi have a variety of individual hazards to negotiate. One hazard is that the waters in this area are murky and have no visibility. The divers operate in water in which they cannot see their hand extended in front of them and light disappears four feet below the surface. Salach said this low visibility condition is common throughout the country and presents a first safety concern for manipulating submerged equipment.
A second hazard divers must overcome is the contaminated waters. Salach said the fluids from vehicles, pollution, and waterborne bacteria create an unsanitary and hazardous condition for divers. Salach said that years ago, divers wore shorts, a t-shirt, a small mask and a breathing hose; but, that has changed over the years because of water contamination. Divers now wear a full mask and a dry suit to protect themselves from pollutants and bacteria.
Other hazards in the water include the wildlife. Alligators, snakes, and other animals in the water can provide a significant hazard to divers especially in reduced visibility conditions.
Another hazard for divers is the heat. Salach said there is no emergency activity that taxes the body more than rescue diving. The divers must be in excellent physical condition to operate in the water. The water is hot and the work is like rigorous exercise, and the dry suit worn by the divers is a plastic bag over their body.
The final days of training were with the new light salvage and recovery system. The lifting system is basically bags that are connected to a submerged vehicle and then filled with air to make the vehicle buoyant. The vehicle can then be moved closer to shore or to a more advantageous location to extract the vehicle from the water with the use of a tow truck or crane.
The system was used to recover a vehicle that went into the Corpus Christi Marina Sunday night as a result of reckless driving. No person was injured in the vehicle crash when it entered the water. The Corpus Christi Police Dive Team recovered the vehicle Monday morning. The Corpus Christi Police Dive Team also recovered a vehicle from Packery Channel on July 4.
The next piece of equipment the Corpus Christi Police Dive Team will acquire is also through grant money. The Dive Team will obtain a remote operated vehicle next month. Team members will travel to San Diego California to gain the training for the new tool and bring back a new R.O.V. to belong to the Corpus Christi Police Department.
Salach said the one main obstacle for any dive team is funding. Dive teams are often neglected until they are needed. The Corpus Christi Police Dive Team have acquired much of their equipment and training from grants from which dive team members have applied.
Dive Team Member Eric Garza stands to watch for diver safety as divers manipulate a car raised in the Nueces RiverThis is a part of the new equipment acquired through grants to the dive team. This is part of the light salvage recovery system which is a bladder that inflates to provide buoyancy to submerged vehicles.
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