At approximately 12:53 am on March 26, 2021, officers were dispatched to a disturbance call on the 8900 block of McGloin.

Updates to the call provided that a male suspect was attempting to break into a home.  The victim was able to identify the suspect as a neighbor. 

Officers identified the location of the suspect and as they attempted to take him into custody, he produced a knife and stabbed an officer causing serious injuries.  During the commission of the struggle, two additional officers sustained injuries.

The suspect, 54-year-old Henry Garza, was taken into custody and he has been charged with 3 counts of attempted Capital Murder, Resisting Arrest and was additionally charged with the attempted Burglary.  Garza was also found to have an outstanding warrant for Parole Violation and was additionally charged.

All three officers were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to make a full recovery.  

An anti-prostitution sting conducted by the Corpus Christi Police Department’s Narcotics and Vice Investigations Division Wednesday resulted in the arrest of ten men on charges of prostitution, a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and fines up to $2,000. The men were arrested after they solicited an undercover CCPD Officer, posing as a prostitute, for sex acts in exchange for money. The operation targeted several north and west side neighborhoods frequented by prostitutes.

NVID Detectives were assisted in the operation by Directed Patrol and Uniform Division Officers, as well as civilians with the Red Cord Program. The Red Cord Program is a prostitution diversion program aimed to provide practical and emotional support for those involved in prostitution. The program is successful due to the collaboration between Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation, social service organizations, Nueces County District Attorney Office, and Corpus Christi Police Department. The program affords those involved with sex work an opportunity to address the myriad of behavioral, social, and psychological problems they have faced throughout their lifetime. Since 2013, Red Cord has provided case management, health services, job training, substance abuse treatment, clothing, housing, counseling, and other social services needed to address the circumstances related to their involvement in prostitution. Participants who successfully complete the program have their cases dismissed by the District Attorney’s Office.

The men arrested during Thursday’s operation will be required to attend a mandatory prostitution diversion education program at their expense. This program educates men about the negative consequences of prostitution, circumstances that may lead someone to purchase sex, and the impact they have on the individual they attempt to solicit sex from in exchange for money. The fees raised from this program are then used to provide some of the resources mentioned above, to assist women seeking to escape the bondage of prostitution.

Although often inaccurately referred to as a “victimless” crime, prostitution is inextricably linked to multiple other crimes including assault, human trafficking, sexual abuse, drug abuse, and the spread of sexually transmitted infectious disease. Neighborhoods where prostitution is prevalent experience a drastic degradation of the quality of life that citizens expect and deserve. The Corpus Christi Police Department will continue to collaborate with all government and private entities to combat prostitution and help accomplish our mission of working with the community to reduce crime, reduce the fear of crime and enhance public safety.

Patricia Persohn is originally from Corpus Christi and began her career with the Corpus Christi Police Department in June of 1990. During her 30 years of service with our Department, Pat has served in several divisions to include MetroCom, Central Records and Property Warehouse.

Pat currently oversees our Central Records and Property Warehouse Divisions. Pat was named civilian employee of the year for 2019 and has been awarded several Certificates of Merit, to include one for her efforts in implementing the National Incident Based Reporting System and was also recognized for completing the Dale Carnegie Course.

Pat started her career working as a Dispatcher before transferring to the Central Records Division where she worked as a Senior Staff Assistant. Pat was later transferred to our Open Records division where she worked as the Public Information Act Coordinator. Pat also worked as the Custodian or Records and Police Records Lead before she promoted to the position of Administrative Manager for the Central Records and Property Warehouse Division in July of 2015. Pat oversees a total of 35 employees in both units which are critical in processing and releasing police reports, reporting crime statistics and processing thousands of pieces of evidence while maintaining the chain of custody.

UPDATE: MR. THORNE HAS BEEN LOCATED AND IS SAFE AND UNHARMED. Thank you to everyone that assisted in locating him.

We need your help locating 81 year old Woodrow Thorne. Mr. Thorne has been missing since late this morning. He suffers from dementia and has partial paralysis in his left arm. He is 5’10” tall and weighs approximately 150 pounds. Mr. Thorne was last seen wearing a grey shirt, blue jeans, black boots, a black sweater, a black cap and sunglasses. Mr. Thorne left in a black Cadillac XTS, license plate 4DV173.

If you have seen Woodrow Thorne or know his location, please call 911 immediately.

Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2021 7:13 pm
Location: 2100 Saratoga Blvd.
Offense: Murder
Case Number: 2103170107

On March 17, 2021 at 7:13 pm Officers were dispatched to the area of 2100 Saratoga in reference to a robbery. When officers arrived, they found 19-year-old Jordan Scott standing outside of a vehicle and a 21-year-old male seated in the vehicle deceased.  

Detectives with the Criminal Investigation Division responded and quickly began to investigate the shooting. The detectives found that this was not a random act of violence and that the two males knew each other. During the investigation the detectives determined that Jordan Scott would be charged with Murder and he was transported to the City Detention Center for booking.

This is still an active investigation. If you have any information about this crime call detectives at 361-886-2840, call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS or submit the information online at https://www.p3tips.com/TipForm.aspx?ID=343&C=&T=.

Shortly after midnight on March 17, 2021, 21 year old Destiny Garza turned herself in to authorities at the Nueces County Jail. Thank you to everyone that assisted in this investigation.

Date: Sunday, February 28, 2021 11:45pm
Location: 1700 block of Ennis Joslin
Incident: Aggravated Assault with Deadly Weapon
Case Number: 2103010003

Corpus Christi Police Department is asking for your help to locate 22-year-old Starr Lopez who has an outstanding warrant for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon ($80,000 Bond).

The warrant is related to an incident which occurred on Sunday, February 28, 2021 at approximately 11:45 pm at an apartment complex located on the 1700 block of Ennis Joslin. The victim was stabbed by Offender Lopez during an altercation that resulted from an argument. The victim sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The parties were known to each other.

Lopez is described as a 22-year-old female who stands 5′ 02″, weighs approximately 150 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

If you know how to locate Starr Lopez, call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS (8477) or submit the information online at https://www.p3tips.com/TipForm.aspx?ID=343&C=&T=, it can earn you a cash reward.

Date: Saturday, March 13, 2021 5:20 pm
Location: 1500 block of Ocean Drive
Incident: Assault Causes Bodily Injury / Endanger Child-Criminal Negligence
Case Number: 2103130139

Corpus Christi Police Department is asking for your help to locate 21-year-old Destiny Garza who has two outstanding warrants related to a weekend assault.     

Garza is described as a 21-year-old female who stands 5′ 02″, weighs approximately 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. 

The warrants relate to an incident which occurred on Saturday, March 13, 2021 at approximately 5:20 pm at a park located on the 1500 block of Ocean Drive.  The victim of the assault contacted police at approximately 8:47 pm notifying officers of the assault.

On Monday, March 15, 2021 Investigators were able to request and obtain an arrest warrant for Assault Causes Bodily Injury (Class A Misdemeanor – $5,000 Bond).  Upon reviewing video evidence of the assault, it was determined that a minor child had been placed in imminent danger by the actions of Destiny Garza, while she intentionally and knowingly assaulted the victim.  As a result, an additional arrest warrant was requested and obtained on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 for Abandon/Endanger Child – Criminal Negligence (State Jail Felony-$20,000 Bond).   

If you know how to locate Destiny Garza, call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS (8477) or submit the information online at https://www.p3tips.com/TipForm.aspx?ID=343&C=&T=, it can earn you a cash reward.

Captain Denny Asbury is a graduate of Southwest Texas State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice/Critical Incident Management from Saint Leo University. While employed with the Corpus Christi Police Department, Captain Asbury attended and graduated from the FBI National Academy 239^th Session in 2009, Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT) Class 70 in 2014 and he is a graduate of Leadership Corpus Christi Class 44 in 2016.

He is originally from Austin and relocated to Corpus Christi in August of 1985 when he began his career with the Corpus Christi Police Department. During his 35 years of service with Department, Captain Asbury has served in several different sections and divisions to include Uniform Division, Criminal Investigation Division, Crime Reduction Unit, Gang Unit, Office of Accountability, Internal Affairs, and the Organized Crime Unit.

Date: March 10, 2021
Offense: Aggravated Robbery
Case Number: 2103100020, 2103100044

Two offenders have been arrested in connection with two aggravated robberies.

At approximately 8:45 am on March 10, 2021, officers were dispatched to the 1800 block of SPID for an attempted robbery.  The victim advised that the suspects demanded personal property, which they were unsuccessful in stealing, but noted that one of the offenders displayed a handgun and then caused damage to the victim’s vehicle.  The offenders were not immediately located.    

At approximately 11:17 am on March 10, 2021, officers were dispatched to the 4100 block of Agnes Street for a Robbery, just occurred.  The suspects matched the description of the suspects from the above-mentioned robbery.  The reporting party advised that they had been robbed of property and noted that the suspect displayed a handgun.  The reporting party provided a description of two suspects along with the suspect vehicle and a short time later officers located the suspect vehicle driving in the area of I-37 and Navigation Blvd.  Officers made contact with 27-year-old Miguel Diaz and 27-year-old Aleia Stovall, who were positively identified and taken into custody.  The stolen item was located and recovered. 

Both offenders were charged with two counts of Aggravated Robbery for the separate incidents.

These offenders have also been connected to additional offenses and may face additional charges as a result.