Home > The Blotter > Archives > 2012 > February > 07
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Leander boy attacked by mountain lion at Big Bend
6:52 p.m. update: Kristi Harris said in a phone interview that her son, Rivers Hobbs, is doing very well Tuesday night after Sunday’s attack.
Check Wednesday’s American-Statesman and statesman.com later tonight for a full story from Harris.
Earlier:: A 6-year-old Leander boy is recovering after a mountain lion attacked him Sunday night at Big Bend National Park.
The boy was walking with his family just outside the Chisos Mountains Lodge when a young mountain lion attacked him, park spokesman David Elkowitz said. Elkowitz said he did not know the boy’s name, but a West Texas television news station reported the victim as Rivers Hobbs from the Austin area.
According to public records, the family lives in Leander.
The boy’s father, Jason Hobbs, stabbed the lion with his pocket knife, CBS 7 reported Monday; the lion then ran away.
CBS 7
The boy was treated for puncture wounds and scratches and released from a hospital in Alpine, Elkowitz said. The CBS 7 report shows stitches on the boy’s left cheek.
Elkowitz said it is very unusual for a mountain lion to attack somebody so close to a building. The lion will be killed if found, he said.
Jason Hobbs said he was on vacation with his family, according to the CBS 7 report; he could not be reached by the American-Statesman for comment.
Park rangers began evacuating trails and campsites early Monday. The Chisos Basin area, along with the Window Trail, the Pinnacles, Boulder Meadow and Juniper Flats trails are still closed, officials said.
Man sentenced for assaulting his pregnant girlfriend
A man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for assaulting his pregnant girlfriend last year on a hike and bike trail in Georgetown, according to the Williamson County District Attorney’s Office.
Jeremy Hutchinson, 33, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, which has a punishment range of two to 20 years in prison. A judge found that Hutchinson used his hands and feet as a deadly weapon, meaning he will not be eligible for parole until he has served six years, officials said.
Georgetown police found Hutchinson assaulting his girlfriend, Melissa Turner, 34, when they were sent to investigate a disturbance on the trail just before midnight on Nov. 18.
They used a Taser to stop the attack and arrested Hutchinson, who Turner said had tricked her into walking along the trail and accused her of cheating on him. Police said he choked her into near unconsciousness, pulled her hair and hit and kicked her.
Turner recovered from her injuries, and her unborn baby was unharmed, officials said.
“An alert homeowner and the quick response from Georgetown police officers may have saved the life of this woman and her baby,” District Attorney John Bradley said in a statement. “The community must remain vigilant against any kind of domestic violence and report it immediately.”
Investigators look for new leads in April homicide
Investigators are looking for new leads in a homicide in April in eastern Travis County.
Authorities said the body of Thomas Michael Baker, 62, was found about 2:50 p.m. on April 5 in a field near his abandoned Ford F-150 pickup.
The maroon truck was discovered on the south side of the road in the 12500 Block of Old Highway 20 and had evidence that a person was hurt, sheriff deputies said.
The Travis County medical examiner’s office determined the man died from traumatic injuries to his head and ruled his death a homicide.
Detectives are still looking for leads in the case and are asking anyone with information to call Detective Paul Salo at 854-3245 or Crime Stoppers at 472-8477.
Police investigate downtown assault early Sunday
Austin police are investigating a robbery downtown reported early Sunday.
Authorities said a man called police from a cab at about 3:30 a.m. after he was assaulted at Fifth and Colorado streets by two men who fled on foot.
Robbery detectives are asking anyone with information to please call police.
The man had been leaving a nearby gay club, according to news reports. But police said they are not calling the robbery by assault a hate crime.
Leander fire under control, official says
A fire that sparked in Leander earlier this afternoon is under control, officials said.
Fire crews from Leander and Liberty Hill responded to a call at 1:18 p.m. about a fire in the 700 block of River Run in Leander.
“It started out as a control burn and it got a little bit out of control,” said Gene Smith, a Williamson County Emergency Communications spokesman. “Everything’s taken care of now as far as I can tell.”
UT soccer player in hit-and-run sees improvement
Hospital officials say Kylie Doniak, a four-year University of Texas soccer player who was injured in a hit-and-run crash last week, remains in critical condition. But family members say she’s showing signs of improvement.
Doniak suffered the most extensive injuries of a crowd of pedestrians struck by a hit-and-run driver early Friday morning in downtown Austin, officials have said. Doniak was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge after she was struck in a hit-and-run crash at East Eighth and San Jacinto streets about 2 a.m. Friday and has been in critical condition since, hospital officials have said.
Authorities said the suspect in the case ran the red light at the intersection and was chased down by a witness for nearly a dozen blocks before he was detained and police arrived. Nicholas Ray Colunga, 22, was in Travis County jail today on $60,000 bail, jail records show, and is charged with intoxication assault and two counts of failure to stop and render aid, police have said.
An arrest affidavit issued in the case this week said Doniak suffered significant head injury, multiple rib fractures, a punctured lung and a large laceration to her back. Both bones in her right leg were broken, as well.
“We got the best surprise God could ever have provided for us today!!!!” her family said this morning on the CaringBridge.org website, which family members have used to update her progress. Family members said Doniak opened her eyes.
Colunga made several statements saying he had been drinking that night, the affidavit issued in the case said.
“I hope I didn’t kill anyone,” Colunga said while being detained, the affidavit said. “I know that I hurt someone. I’ll take responsibility. Take me downtown, I know you’re going to do it.”
Colunga also told police he was “no where near sober” and smelled of a strong odor of alcohol and his speech was slurred and mumbled, the affidavit said.
Friends have been posting public messages on Facebook and Twitter urging prayers for Doniak’s recovery. Parents of the Chino Hills, Calif., native who won several awards as a forward for the Longhorn soccer team arrived to Brackenridge on Friday from California.
Last night, a prayer vigil was held for Doniak on the University of Texas campus.
Her family said early Tuesday on the CaringBridge.org website that Doniak was still suffering from brain swelling and said her body temperature had been lowered to reduce brain activity.
“Keep praying for her brain swelling to go down and her brain pressure to remain down because that is the biggest factor determining her healing and progress right now,” the family said in a post. “We don’t know if she can hear us or see us, but I know she can feel us and feel God’s presence because of all of our prayers.”
Permalink | Categories: Hit-and-run
Pleasent Valley Road at Fourth Street opened after gas leak contained
Update 11:05 a.m.: A gas leak has been contained, and Pleasant Valley Road is reopened, officials said.
Earlier: The northbound lanes of Pleasant Valley Road at East Fourth Street have been closed this morning because of a gas leak, officials said today.
The leak was considered minor, and only two Austin Fire Department units were at the scene, fire spokesman Matthew Cox said.
Cox said it was likely the leak was from a nearby residential property, and the nearby roadways were closed mostly as a precaution.
“We do do 100 of these a day, so they are just trying to be extra careful,” he said.
Officials expect to issue another alert once the roadway is reopened.
Photo: Rodolfo Gonzalez/American-Statesman
