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Theft
May 15, 2012
Police seek man accused of stealing copper and aluminum
FROM THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT:
On Monday, May 7, 2012, at approximately 6:08 p.m., a white male cut the security chain link fence and entered the supply yard of L&O Electric, Inc., stealing copper and aluminum.
The suspect is described as: White Male In his mid 30’s Bald head 5’10” to 5’11” 185 to 195 lbs
He was last seen wearing a dark and light striped polo shirt, light colored shorts and black and white tennis shoes.
This case remains under investigation by the Austin Police Department Property Interdiction Unit. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Property Interdiction Unit at (512) 974-4277.
April 27, 2012
Man arrested in Round Rock part of truck-theft ring, police say
Round Rock police say a man charged this week with stealing a pickup is part of a theft organization in Central Texas that is responsible for stealing 120 trucks between Round Rock and Austin this year, according to an arrest warrant.
Carlos Barahona, 23, was charged with theft and auto theft this week. A second man was also charged in connection with the incident at Dell Inc., police said.
A Round Rock police officer patrolling the Dell campus saw a suspicious tan pickup pull into the parking lot next to a white Chevrolet pickup, the warrant said.
The officer didn’t see anyone leave the pickup to go into the building, but he saw that the truck door was open, the warrant said. The officer said he saw a man walking around the rear of both pickups and then saw the white Chevrolet pickup pull out of the parking lot, followed by the tan truck, according to the warrant.
The officer followed the trucks on Greenlawn Boulevard and contacted additional patrol units in marked vehicles to help, the warrant said. When officers stopped the driver of the tan pickup, he gave a false name, the warrant said.
A Round Rock detective was able to determine, with help from the Austin Police Department, that the driver was Barahona, according to the warrant. Another officer tried to stop the driver of the white pickup but it would not stop for several minutes, police said.
When the driver of the white pickup finally stopped, police arrested him. The driver, Noe Dubon, 22, was charged with theft. The white Chevrolet pickup had signs that it had been stolen, including a punched driver’s side door lock, a missing steering column cover and a damaged ignition, the warrant said.
Police also found tools used to bypass ignitions and start vehicles on the floorboard of the white pickup, the warrant said. The owner of that truck said it was stolen and it was worth $10,000, the warrant said. Dubon later told police that he was going to be paid $300 for stealing the truck, according to the warrant.
Both Barahona, in photo at left, and Dubon, right, were being held at the Williamson County Jail today. Barahona’s bail was set at $15,000 and Dubon’s bail was set at $10,000.
February 10, 2012
Bail bond agent charged with theft after defendant claims $12,000 stolen, police say
The owner of a Bastrop bail bond business has been charged with felony theft after a client told police that $12,000 in cash was stolen from her, according to an arrest affidavit released today.
Patricia Stark, the 54-year-old owner of Ace Bail Bonds, is facing the charge after she refused to return the money and other items to a defendant in a Caldwell County criminal case, the affidavit issued by Austin police said.
The defendant was facing criminal charges of evading police and possession of dangerous drugs in Caldwell County and used Ace Bail Bonds to post bail in the 2010 case, the affidavit said.
The client, Afaf Bouardi, left the country soon after the October 2010 incident and missed a subsequent court date, the affidavit said. Her bond was then revoked by the court, the affidavit said.
Stark then hired a bail enforcement agent, or bounty hunter, to track Bouardi down, the affidavit said. In October, the agent received word that Bouardi was in Austin, located her and took her to Caldwell County jail, the affidavit said. The agent also took Bouardi’s purse, which contained $11,500 in euros, nearly $500 in cash and a cell phone to Stark, the affidavit said. The bounty hunter kept the nearly $500, the document said.
By December, Bouardi’s cases had been adjudicated and she and her attorney requested Stark return the money and other items several times, but to no avail, the affidavit said.
On Jan. 27, Stark met with Austin police and returned the purse, but not the money and cell phone, the affidavit said. A second meeting was set for Feb. 2, but Stark did not show up, the affidavit said.
“I called Stark on her cell phone and when I tried to ask her if she was coming she told me there was background noise (which I heard) and could not hear me,” an Austin police investigator said in the document.
Additional calls to Stark’s cell and office phones went to voicemail, the affidavit said.
Stark is facing $12,000 bail, and was not shown booked Friday, jail records show.
January 12, 2012
Georgetown football player charged with five felonies
Police have charged a Georgetown High School football player with five felonies. Darius Davis, 17, has been charged with credit card abuse, assault of a public servant, aggravated robbery, unauthorized use of a vehicle and escape causing bodily injury.
The crimes happened during four separate incidents in November and December, according to arrest warrants.
“We don’t usually have this number of serious crimes that occur in this short period of time,” said Capt. Kevin Stofle of the Georgetown Police Department.
According to an arrest warrant, Davis, who is charged as an adult, stole a car in the 300 block of Susana Drive on Nov. 22. Police later found it abandoned with Davis’ fingerprints on a compact disc found inside the car.
On Dec. 24, the warrant said, Davis assaulted a Georgetown man and took the man’s deer rifle and wallet, a warrant said. Police said they later found the rifle.
In the third incident, Georgetown police on Dec. 28 found Davis with a stolen credit card belonging to a woman who had just reported that someone had stolen her car and purse, according to a warrant.
Davis is also accused of injuring a police officer and trying to escape while being taken back to jail after a police interview Dec. 30, a warrant said.
He was being held Thursday in the Williamson County Jail with bail set at $130,000.
Davis was a standout on the Georgetown football team as their leading rusher in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. He was also chosen as all-district first team for both seasons.
December 29, 2011
Man charged in theft of Four Seasons stay, spa treatments
An Austin man has been charged in a theft case after he stayed at the Four Seasons hotel and charged room service, movies and spa treatments to a stolen credit card, according to an arrest affidavit.
Shawn Robert Henson, 24, is facing the felony theft charge after he checked into the hotel Dec. 20th at a rate of $2,000 a night for two evenings, the affidavit said. Henson used a cloned, stolen credit card during his stay at the hotel, the affidavit said.
Henson used also used the card to order more than $200 in spa services and movies, helping tally up a bill of more than $5,000 during the stay.
Henson was booked into Travis County jail just after the Four Seasons stay last Thursday morning and remained jailed today on a bail of $30,000, records showed.
December 19, 2011
Police: Trio stole $14,000 in merchandise from Barton Creek Mall
A shopping trip landed three people in jail Saturday. Police said they used foil-lined bags to steal more than $14,000 in perfume and clothing from Barton Creek Mall.
Leroy Apreciado, 37, Ruben Apreciado, 38, and Perla Arredondo, 32, were charged with third-degree felony theft and engaging in organized crime. According to jail records, only Ruben Apreciado remains in custody; his bail is set at $20,000.
Around 7 p.m. Saturday, a loss prevention manager at the mall noticed a man carrying a very full bag that was lined with foil, an arrest affidavit said. Such bags can be used to defeat electronic anti-theft devices.
The manager watched the man exit the mall and get into a white Pontiac Aztek, the affidavit said. He contacted another manager, who told him he saw a man matching that description and other suspects loading clothing into a similar bag at the Abercrombie and Fitch store, the affidavit said.
When the suspects drove out of the mall, the security manager followed them and called 911, the affidavit said. A Rollingwood Police Department officer responded to the call and stopped the Pontiac at the 1500 block of Cesar Chavez, the affidavit said. During the traffic stop, several people ran out of the Pontiac, the affidavit said.
Arredondo remained inside the vehicle and was arrested. Austin police officers searched the area and found the other suspects and the stolen merchandise, the affidavit said.
The bags contained about $2,500 worth of perfumes from Victoria’s Secret and other stores, $3,000 in clothes from Abercrombie and Fitch, $2,250 in clothes from Hollister, and about $3,000 in clothes from Aeropostale. In total, about $14,102 worth of merchandise was taken, the affidavit said.
November 30, 2011
Police: Man drives off with car in test drive
Authorities charged an Elgin man with stealing a car after he never returned from a test drive, according to an arrest affidavit filed Wednesday.
Michael Domingo DeLeon, 22, is not in custody but faces felony theft charges after he met a man at an address in the Del Valle area to test drive a 1999 Toyota Camry, the affidavit said.
DeLeon gave the man selling the car his Texas identification card and was allowed to test drive the vehicle alone and instructed to return in five to 10 minutes, the affidavit said. The seller eventually called Austin police and reported the car, valued at $5,575, as stolen, the affidavit said.
The affidavit did not say whether police recovered the car.
In August 2009, DeLeon was involved in a similar incident when he drove off with a vehicle on a test drive, the affidavit said.
November 16, 2011
Top Austin offender faces nearly dozen charges in string of thefts
A man who was put on Austin’s “top offender” list last month faces nearly a dozen charges in a string of thefts involving vehicles and credit card information at area businesses and residences, according to several arrest affidavits released today.
Shawn Anthony Eddleman, 47, faces several theft-related charges in connection with a string of vehicles stolen in the Austin area early last month, including five taken from a North Austin dealership, the affidavits said.
The vehicles from RTS Lonestar Auto Sales at 5251 Burnet Road, which were valued at more than $62,000, were then used to commit other robberies in the Austin area in the subsequent weeks, the affidavits said.
The dealership said a passenger vehicle and four sport utility vehicles, including a 2006 Hummer, were stolen, along with sensitive vehicle and contract information, including license and dealer plates, sets of vehicle keys, customer contracts and vehicle titles on Oct. 2 or 3, the affidavits said.
On Oct. 6, Eddleman was seen at a business close to one of the dealerships, on Clay Avenue, where a vehicle and commercial gasoline credit card later went missing, the affidavits said. The credit card was later used to fuel one of the stolen vehicles, the affidavits said.
On Oct. 15, a 25-foot trailer was stolen from a business on Hancock Drive in North Austin, the affidavits said.
On Oct. 27, police responded to a burglary of a residence, where Eddleman was seen loading property onto a trailer connected to the stolen Hummer, the affidavits said. When police approached, Eddleman punched one officer and left in the vehicle, nearly striking another officer, the affidavits said. At least two of the stolen dealership vehicles was located nearby, the affidavits said.
The following day, Austin police issued an alert looking for Eddleman and said he was a top offender.
On Oct. 31, a Harley-Davidson was stolen from a home in North Austin, the affidavits said.
On Nov. 2, Eddleman was located by police at a storage facility on North Lamar near U.S. 183 and was taken into custody, the affidavits said. The Hummer was located nearby with an attached trailer, along with the stolen Harley and construction equipment, the affidavits said.
Eddleman was booked into the Travis County Jail that day and remained booked as of Wednesday, facing 11 charges and nearly $200,000 in bail, jail records show.
Suspect accused of stealing Lakeway man's goat, barbecuing it
A man accused of stealing a Lakeway man’s goat and then serving it at a barbecue has been charged with felony theft.
Javier Aguirre, 27, is in custody at the Travis County Jail. Jail records indicate Aguirre (pictured) also is charged with possession of a controlled substance and is being detained for immigration reasons.
An arrest affidavit said that on Nov. 8, a Lakeway man called police to report that his 7-month-old goat had been stolen from stock pens behind his home. A suspect used bolt cutters to gain access to the pen, the affidavit said. The victim told police he heard from an acquaintance that Aguirre had stolen the goat.
The goat, a boar, weighed up to 245 pounds and was valued at $3,500, the affidavit said.
Aguirre was already in custody at the Travis County Jail when detectives spoke with him. The detectives looked at his impounded truck and found blood and goat hair in the bed, the affidavit said.
Aguirre told the detectives he stole the goat and took it to a home where it was butchered, the affidavit said. Aguirre told them the goat was barbecued and served to people in the Apache Shores neighborhood near Lake Travis, the affidavit said.
He told detectives he took that goat because it was “very gentle, like a dog,” the affidavit said.
November 9, 2011
Man charged in school computer thefts
Updated at 4:35 p.m.: Jesse Earl Istre, who police said stole school computers, remains at large. Anybody with information about him can call Austin Independent School District police at 512-414-1730.
Earlier: An Austin man posing as a computer technician stole computers last month at two Northwest Austin schools, police said in arrest affidavits filed in the case.
Jesse Earl Istre, 22, is facing two counts of felony theft after the computers were stolen at Anderson High and Murchison Middle schools, the affidavits said.
Around lunchtime Oct. 17, Istre entered a classroom at Anderson High at 8403 Mesa Drive and told two teachers that he needed to pick up some computers for repair, the affidavits said. Staff later discovered two Apple iMac computers valued at $5,200 were stolen, the affidavit said.
A week later, on Oct. 24, Istre used the same method to take three computers and a projector from Murchison Middle School at 3700 North Hills Drive, the affidavit said.
Images of Istre and his vehicle were captured on cameras at the school, and school workers reported that he was a computer contractor who worked at Anderson High School, the affidavit said.
Jail records did not show Istre booked in Travis County jail as of Wednesday afternoon.
November 8, 2011
Police: Two men stole UT police bike
Two men were arrested Monday on suspicion of stealing a University of Texas police bicycle that had an on-board GPS system, according to arrest affidavits.
Christopher Smith, 27, is in Travis County Jail on $15,000 bail, charged with a misdemeanor for theft of a bike and a state jail felony for possessing less than a gram of heroin, according to jail records. Justin Sadowski, 31, is not in custody but also was charged with a misdemeanor for theft and a state jail felony for possessing less than a gram of ecstasy, the affidavits said. Sadowski’s total bail was $10,000.
UT police affidavits said the bicycle was left on a rack near the Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Building on 200 East Dean Keeton Street from Oct. 31 to around 4:40 p.m. Monday. The bike’s on-board GPS system showed it was moved to a Days Inn motel on 3100 Interstate 35 North about two miles away, the affidavits said.
There, an officer found the bicycle, along with two others that were not UT police bikes, in the back of a blue Dodge Durango registered to Sadowski, the affidavits said. Sadowski told the officer that he and Smith planned to drive around and take bicycles because they needed money, the affidavits said.
Police then searched the Dodge and found a pouch of heroin and two pills of ecstasy, the affidavits said.
The police bike is valued at $400 and the GPS is valued at $600, making the total value of the theft $1,000, the affidavit said.
November 3, 2011
38 iPads stolen from Killeen Walmart; four men sought
Killeen police are looking for four men who robbed a Walmart store of 38 iPads about 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
A surveillance video shows the four men walking around the store’s electronics area. One man, wearing a dark shirt, long white shorts and a silver necklace, is pushing a shopping basket before walking behind the unattended electronics counter and taking several iPads.
Soon after, the same man returns with and two other men: one wearing a black jacket, white T-shirt, dark shorts and a dark baseball cap, and the other wearing dark shorts, a white T-shirt and a white and dark baseball cap with dark lettering on it. The man in the white shirt is seen taking more iPads.
A fourth man, wearing a dark jacket, a red baseball cap, a red shirt and dark shorts with white designs on the back pockets, then comes and takes more iPads and later meets up with the man with white shorts, police said.
The images below are stills of the four suspects from the Walmart’s surveillance footage, provided by Killeen police.
Detectives are asking anyone who can identify the thieves to contact Crime Stoppers at 254-526-8477, visit www.killeencrimestoppers.com or text KILLEEN with the tip to 274637 (CRIMES).
November 1, 2011
Police: Couple stole backhoe, parked it in backyard
A husband and wife stole a $70,000 backhoe from a construction site and parked it in the backyard of their nearby home in East Austin on Sunday afternoon, according to an arrest affidavit.
Steve and Teresa Lobato are in the Travis County Jail, each charged with two counts of theft, a third-degree felony, for the backhoe and a lesser charge for siphoning off about 60 gallons of diesel fuel, the affidavits and jail records said. Steve Lobato, 49, is also charged with a misdemeanor for evading arrest after he avoided an officer who suspected he had stolen the backhoe, the affidavit said.
Witnesses told police they saw the couple siphoning the fuel and stealing the backhoe from a home next door to them near Meadowood and Fred Morse drives, the affidavits said.
Witnesses also gave police videotape of the Lobatos moving the backhoe off the property and taking fuel from cans, the document said.
The couple had been arrested in July for stealing fuel from construction equipment, the affidavit said.
October 24, 2011
Men stole credit cards from H-E-B customers, police say
Two men took purses from customers at an H-E-B on Brodie Lane and West William Cannon Drive in South Austin, according to arrest affidavits filed Monday morning.
Police said the 28-year-old men took a woman’s purse from a shopping cart on Aug. 22 and broke into a woman’s Lexus, taking her purse, on Aug. 29, the affidavits said. Neither man was in custody today, according to jail records.
Gregory Davis and Christopher Gill used the women’s credit cards to make hundreds of dollars in purchases from a nearby Lowe’s hardware store, the affidavits said.
Gill, of Cedar Park, is charged with two counts of credit card abuse, one of them a state jail felony and the other a third-degree felony, the affidavits said.
Davis, of Buda, is charged with three counts of credit card abuse, one of them a state jail felony and two of them a third-degree felony, the affidavits said.
Police said Davis and Gill each have other warrants out for theft and burglary charges. The two were charged with theft for taking a man’s car keys and stealing his car from the same H-E-B on Sept. 4, an affidavit said.
October 10, 2011
Police: After-school teacher stole thousands
An after-school program teacher stole at least $7,500 in payments to the school, according to an arrest affidavit filed Monday with the Travis County clerk.
Lauris Blackwell, Mathews Elementary school’s after-school care teacher, told district police in August that she had been stealing cash tuition payments since January, the affidavit said.
Blackwell, 46, was charged Wednesday with theft by a public servant, a third-degree felony, and is not in custody. Blackwell told police that she would take cash payments and not give parents receipts, the affidavit said.
An Austin school district auditor told police that Blackwell could have stolen more than $7,500 from the West Austin school, but that was all that was missing from a school account, the affidavit said.
September 8, 2011
Woman charged in Westwood cheerleader fund theft
An Austin woman is accused of taking money from the Westwood High School Cheerleading Booster Club.
Melissa Godina, who was the treasurer of the booster club, was charged Tuesday with misapplication of fiduciary property, according to an arrest warrant. An audit of the booster club’s funds showed that $4,170.21 was missing during the 2010-11 school year, the warrant said.
The president of the booster club, Kerrin Gaenzle, mailed a letter to Godina on May 23 detailing the money shortage, asking for documentation and asking that the funds be paid back, the warrant said.
Godina, 32, wrote a letter June 23 to Gaenzle that said that she was “sorry for deceiving the booster club and using dishonest actions and stating that she had ‘every intention on paying every single penny back ASAP,’” according to the arrest warrant
Godina told a deputy at the Williamson County sheriff’s office that she had taken the money from the club throughout the year because of personal financial problems, the warrant said.
Godina was arrested and later released from the Williamson County Jail on Wednesday, according to jail records. Her bail was set at $1,500.
July 20, 2011
Two charged in bleacher thefts at high schools, affidavit says
A man and a teenager stole aluminum bleachers from Central Texas high schools this summer and tried to sell them to a North Austin recycling center, according to police and arrest affidavits issued Wednesday.
Jeanette Nicole DeLaRosa, 18, and Elve Culliver, 42, have both been charged with felonies in connection with the thefts from Connally and McNeil high schools, police said in arrest affidavits issued Wednesday.
Now, the police department for the Pflugerville school district, which is investigating the case along with two other agencies, is asking area schools and other groups who suspect a recent theft of such equipment to contact them.
“We do anticipate more charges,” said police chief William Edwards for the Pflugerville school district. “These individuals are responsible for at least two high schools. We think they’ve done more. We recovered more than what was (reported) lost.”
The department, along with Austin police and the Williamson County sheriff’s office continue to investigate the case, Edwards said.
Ten to 15-foot bleachers were taken from Connally’s softball field in around 5 a.m. June 26th and another set were taken from McNeil on July 12 or 13, according to Edwards and the affidavits.
On June 28, DeLaRosa, Culliver and third man sold the bleachers from Connally, valued at $2,400, to a recycling center for $152, the document said. When the trio returned July 13, center employees, who had learned of the previous theft, refused to buy bleachers, police said in the affidavits.
Surveillance footage from Connally and witnesses at the recycling center connected DeLaRosa, Culliver and a pickup used to move the bleachers, the affidavits said.
DeLaRosa has been booked and released through Travis County jail and faces a $5,000 bail, an Austin police official said. Culliver was charged in McNeil theft, the affidavit said. He was booked Tuesday and remained in Travis County jail on $35,000 bail Wednesday, records show.
It was not immediately clear Wednesday whether the third man faces charges.
The Pflugerville school district police department can be reached at (512) 670-5551.
June 24, 2011
Killeen police seek woman accused of stealing donation jar from store
FROM THE KILLEEN POLICE DEPARTMENT:
Killeen Police need help identifying a female who stole a donation canister from the counter of the Exxon Gas and Convenience Store on May 7, 2011.
An officer was notified by the attendant of the Exxon Gas and Convenience Store located at 104 W. Elms Suite #700, that a female stole the Japan Tsunami Relief donation canister from the store counter. The attendant noticed the donation canister missing during the early afternoon hours on May 7, 2011. He checked the security system and saw that approximately 11:41am on May 7, 2011, a light skinned black or Hispanic female wearing a black shirt and dark colored pants entered the store to buy gas. While the attendant was assisting another customer the female looked around to make sure no one was watching and put the canister in her large purse. She gave the attendant money for gas and left the store and walked back to her vehicle. Once she pumped her gas she left in a small silver or gold 4dr vehicle, possibly a Dodge Neon.
Detectives are asking anyone who knows the identity of this suspect or has information about this Theft, to call Crime Stoppers at 526-TIPS (8477), go online at www.killeencrimestoppers.com or text the word KILLEEN along with the tip to 274637 (CRIMES). If your information leads to the arrest of the person responsible for this crime you could be eligible for a cash reward up to $1,000.
May 5, 2011
Suspect tied to Apple purchase scam in seven states, Austin police say
An Austin man who was thwarted in a recent attempt to purchase several laptops at Barton Creek Square mall with a stolen credit card is connected to a larger Apple computer scam across several states, police said Thursday.
Police say 29-year-old Lance Domonic Robinson, a resident of the North Oaks neighborhood in North Austin, is connected to fraudulent purchases at Apple computer stores across seven states, including Texas and Louisiana, totaling $147,000, according to police and court documents.
“Additional charges are likely to be filed …as the investigation progresses,” police said in an arrest affidavit.
On Sunday, Robinson, using the name John R. Kelly II, attempted to purchase three Macbook Pro laptops at the mall’s Apple store —- a nearly $10,000 purchase, according to the affidavits.
Robinson handed an employee a credit card, saying the purchase may need special approval from his bank, Atlanta-based SunTrust Bank, the affidavits said. A specific representative —- whose exact role with the bank was not clear Thursday morning —- gave the worker instructions on how to complete the purchase, the affidavits said.
However, another employee recognized Robinson, who had been in the store a week earlier attempting to make a similar purchase, the affidavits said. Later, the workers learned the card was stolen, the affidavits said.
The workers stalled Robinson until police arrived and he was detained, the affidavits said.
“Robinson was taken into custody and his true identity was confirmed through fingerprints,” police said in a statement Thursday.
Police then searched his vehicle, uncovering seven new Apple laptops purchased in the Dallas and Fort Worth areas, the affidavits said. With the assistance of Apple and SunTrust investigators, police linked Robinson to fraudulent Apple purchases in the Houston as well as stores in six other states, including Ohio, Virginia, Missouri, Florida and Delaware, the affidavits said.
Police also found the original owner of the credit card, a John Kelly in Atlanta, Georgia, police said. Kelly told police his SunTrust card was canceled last year because of fraudulent activity.
Robinson is facing three related charges, including felony credit card abuse and fraudulent use of a government instrument, according to arrest affidavits filed in the case.
He remained jailed Thursday morning with bail set at $90,000 and he also faces an out-of-state felony charge, jail records showed.
The case remains under investigation, and police are asking anyone with information to call the Austin police department’s financial crimes unit at 512-974-5290.
March 5, 2011
Back scratcher lands woman in jail
An Austin woman was jailed Friday after police stopped her for stealing a back scratcher, then discovered that she was carrying more than $150 in stolen jewelry, according to an arrest affidavit.
Bonnie Kay Gomez, 43, was leaving Monkey See Monkey Do at 1712 South Congress Ave. when a store staffer — who suspected her of stealing — stopped her at the door to check her bag, employee Steven Almaguer told the Statesman. Gomez “freaked out,” grabbed a back scratcher in front of the staffer, then stormed out of the store, he said.
Austin Police Department officers stopped Gomez nearby, Almaguer said. Officers not only found the silver, $7 back scratcher in her possession, but more than $152 in stolen jewelry from Tesoros Trading Company, the affidavit states. Police say she was also carrying other apparently stolen items, including more jewelry, but said she could not remember what other stores she had visited.
Gomez was arrested and charged with theft of less than $1,500 with two or more convictions for any other theft. On Saturday she remained in jail on $5,000 bail, jail records show.
December 27, 2010
Christmas caper no more: chicken trailer recovered
UPDATE: Police said the trailer was recovered today. No other information was available.
The owner of Lucky J’s Chicken & Waffles said someone stole his black-and-red food trailer from its temporary spot in East Austin sometime Christmas day.
Lucky J’s owner Jason Umlas reported the trailer missing this morning to police.
Umlas speculated the thief or thieves had to have planned out the heist because a hitch would be needed to tow away the 12-foot by 8-foot trailer and because several chains securing it had to have been cut.
The trailer (pictured) had been parked at the trailer park eatery at east Sixth and Waller streets for a few weeks, Umlas said.
Mike Sutter 2009/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Sometime between early Christmas morning, when the trailer closed at 3 a.m., and 10 a.m. today, someone carted it off, Umlas said.
“You would need the right hitch and a vehicle capable of (towing a) several thousand-pound trailer,” Umlas said. “To actually haul off an entire vehicle — that level of planning you don’t see with petty theft.”
Umlas said Lucky J’s has two trailers used for catering events or festivals. He said the trailer stolen is the main one, with the signature paint job: black checker board on a red background with a woman on top of a chicken holding a plate of fried chicken and waffles.
The trailer, with the cooking equipment inside, is worth about $15,000, Umlas said.
Thefts have occurred at the trailer park before, Umlas said. His employees have previously reported that a laptop was stolen out of the trailer’s window, and a few times, people have ran off with their tip jar. Umlas said several of the other food trailers have had power cords cut for the valuable copper wiring inside.
“I don’t know why someone would steal” the trailer, Umlas said. With its easily recognizable markings, it would be hard to sell, he said. “It just doesn’t make sense. It seems like a spiteful move instead of for profit.”
August 12, 2010
Round Rock woman arrested for 20 credit card abuse cases
FROM THE WILLIAMSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE:
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Rubineysi Guevara (White Female DOB 06-18-1987) in relation to over 20 felony credit card abuse cases in and around the Williamson County area. Guevara is presently being held in the Williamson County Jail a $457,500.00 bond. The arrest comes after a lengthy investigation into her identity was conducted.
Detectives on Friday observed her driving in the Hutto area of Williamson County. Previously, detectives had only a vehicle description and a photo of Guevara but knew she traveled the Highway 79 corridor.
A subsequent search warrant was conducted at her residence, located at 515 East Palm Valley in Round Rock. It was in the residence that detectives found evidence of Guevara’s criminal episodes. At this time, detectives believe that all of the victims of Guevara are from the Hutto area. Guevara would then use stolen credit card numbers in Jarrell, Taylor, Hutto Giddings, Rockdale, Coupland, and Bastrop. Detectives are now going back through old reports to determine if Guevara is the suspect in those unsolved cases.
August 6, 2010
Man accused of stealing copper from city light poles
A man was arrested about 2:30 a.m. Thursday after deputies say he cut copper tubing and wiring from a city light pole near the 9400 block of Springdale Road in Northeast Austin, according to an affidavit filed by the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.
Responding to a call from a witness, deputies found Joshua Tasby, 32, walking along Springdale, an affidavit said.
During a search, deputies found copper wire and tubing in his pocket and underneath his shirt, but Tasby told police he had bought it at a pawn shop, the affidavit said.
When police told him they knew what he had done, he admitted to cutting off the wiring and stealing it, the affidavit said.
Stealing copper is a state jail felony; Tasby had two previous theft convictions, the affidavit said. Tasby is in the Travis County Jail on $3,500 bail, records show.
Deputies notified Austin Energy to fix the light pole, the affidavit said.
August 4, 2010
Woman charged with stealing police vehicle
FROM THE KILLEEN POLICE DEPARTMENT:
The Killeen Police Department investigating the theft of one of their police units today, Tuesday, August 03, 2010, at approximately 8:00am.
An officer arrested a person and his police unit was parked in the loading and unloading area on the east side of the north precinct located at 402 N. 2nd St. The officer discovered the police unit missing at 8:05am. Communication personnel were notified and information was broadcasted to other agencies that the vehicle had been stolen. The vehicle was tracked and located in Copperas Cove. The stolen police car was stopped with the assistance of the Copperas Cove Police Department and the female suspect was taken into custody at 8:11am.
The suspect was transported to the Copperas Cove City jail where she will remain until this case is reviewed by the Bell County District Attorney’s Office.
UPDATE August 4, 2010
This case was reviewed by the Bell County District Attorney’s Office and a complaint was returned charging Rebecca Anne Toal with Theft over $20,000. She remains in the Cory\ell County Jail.
June 23, 2010
Dozens of credit card numbers stolen from Driskill guests
The credit card numbers of dozens of recent guests at the downtown Driskill Hotel were stolen after thieves hacked into the accounting network for the hotel’s management company, officials said.
Austin police said they are still trying to determine the exact number of local victims, but that up to 700 people who stayed at about three dozen properties managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts nationally may have been affected.
Austin police are investigating the local thefts; agents for the U.S. Secret Service are investigating who accessed the accounting system for the company, based in Englewood, Colo.
“We are looking at losses in the hundreds of thousands, so it is pretty serious,” said Austin police Sgt. Matt Greer, who supervises the department’s financial crimes unit. “Usually, the losses are with the bank.”
Greer said hotel officials discovered and halted the breach this month and that they think most of the thefts happened in the past couple of months. He said that in some instances, authorities think the credit card numbers were sold in batches online, allowing them to be used at other merchants and businesses.
Driskill vice president and managing director John Spomer said in a statement that the company has reviewed its credit card network and that “selective credit card data from some of our customers may have been illegally swept from our network by outside professionals and subsequently used by them.”
He said the company has put measures in place and that “to the extent that any customer data was stolen from our network, we believe that the potential for any future such activity related to this threat will now be stopped.”
June 4, 2010
Stolen car leads to possible human smuggling operation
An Austin man has been charged with theft after a GPS tracking device led police to a stolen vehicle, according to an arrest affidavit issued Thursday.
The owner of the vehicle told police that he had activated his GPS on his 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe, which led him to an address in Dell Valle, the affidavit said.
Police then responded to the scene and investigated the discovery of two other stolen vehicles found off a dirt road parked next to a trailer, the affidavit said.
The vehicles’ back seats had been removed, and police discovered backseats and center consoles that had been removed from other vehicles, which are indicative of a human smuggling operation that has been active for some time, the affidavit said.
Jose Dolores Arroyo, 63, came out of the trailer and said he lived there and allowed a man to work on vehicles there but did not know how to contact him, the affidavit said.
Arroyo, pictured at right in a Travis County Sheriff’s Office photo, was arrested and released on $10,000 bail, said Roger Wade, a spokesman for the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.
June 3, 2010
Men stole weapons from deputy, police say
Three men have been charged with theft after several weapons and other police equipment were stolen from a Travis County sheriff’s office vehicle early Wednesday morning, according to arrest affidavits.
Two Glock model handguns with attached lights, a Taser with cartridges, a police duty belt, a police radio, two sets of handcuffs and a canister of pepper spray were among the items stolen from the car, the affidavit said. Most of the equipment has since been recovered, said sheriff’s office spokesman Roger Wade.
Nicolas Stackable, 26, David Allen Zurovetz, 24, and Leonel Lopez Jr., 18, have been charged with theft of a firearm, a state jail felony, the affidavits said. Lopez also was charged with criminal trespass, the affidavit said.
About 4 a.m. Wednesday, the sheriff’s office car, a 2007 Dodge Magnum, was broken into through a rear window while parked at a private residence in Southwest Austin, the affidavit said.
The vehicle was assigned to senior deputy Kent Miller, who is assigned to the sheriff’s fugitive and SWAT division, the affidavit said.
At 4:45 a.m., asheriff’s deputy initiated a traffic stop on a 2002 Toyota close to the Oak Hill area at the intersection of El Rey Boulevard and Espanola Trail, the affidavit said. The deputy saw two men flee from the passenger side of the vehicle, the affidavit said.
The driver, Stackable, remained in the vehicle and was detained, the affidavit said.
Deputies searching the nearby area found Lopez hiding in the backyard of a nearby home on El Ray, the affidavit said.
A wallet belonging to Zurovetz also was found in front of a nearby home, the affidavit said. A Glock handgun was found in the front yard of another nearby home at the 8900 block of El Rey, while another Glock handgun was on a corner close to where the traffic stop took place, the affidavit said.
A search warrant was then executed at Zurovetz’s home, the affidavit said. Zurovetz was home, the affidavit said.
The Taser was located under a pillow of a bed where Zurovetz was laying, the affidavit said. Also, a missing light from one of the handguns and a Glock magazine with bullets were recovered at the home, the affidavit said.
Zurovetz later directed police to a trash can about a quarter mile away where they recovered gun belts with police radio, holders and accessories, the affidavit said.
All three men have been arrested and booked in Travis County Jail, Wade said. Stackable has been released on bail, Wade said.
February 22, 2010
APD seeks suspects in jewelry store theft
FROM THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT:
Austin Police North Bureau Detectives are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying three suspects involved in a jewelry theft that occurred on Friday, February 19, 2010 at the Russell Korman Jewelers, 3806 North Lamar Blvd. Three males entered the store at approximately 10:40 a.m., smashed the glass display cases and fled the scene with a large number of high-dollar watches.
The suspects are described as:
Suspect 1: Black male, light skinned 5’7”, 245 pounds, heavy build Black stocking over face, hat Gray ski jacket with black portions Dark pants, brown boxer shorts Dark gloves Carrying a black crowbar
Suspect 2: Hispanic male 5’10”, 140-200 pounds, thin build Hat Black gloves and a hammer
Suspect 3: Black male Dark clothing, white Halloween mask Black gloves Carrying a bag
Anyone with information is asked to call the North Bureau Detectives at 512-974- 4277, Crimestoppers at 512-472-TIPS or text TIP103 to CRIMES (274637).
January 11, 2010
Police looking for mall theft suspects
Police are asking for help in identifying three people who they say were involved in the theft of electronic equipment from a store at Lakeline Mall last month.
According to police, the three people distracted a clerk at the Brookstone store and stole the merchandise around 8:52 p.m. on Dec. 3.
Anyone with information is asked to call the North Bureau detectives at 974-5584 or 974-4277.
In the photo below, the three people being sought are the man in the red shirt, the woman with the dark jacket and light-colored blue jeans, and the woman with a dark jacket and green collar.
December 17, 2009
Three charged in computer theft ring
Austin Police charged three of four men they say were involved in a in a ring that stole more than $54,000 worth of computers from an Austin business and resold many of them for nearly $40,000.
Richard Anthony Harvey, 34, James Michael Lima, 34 and Richard Edward Harrington, 27, were charged with theft and engaging in an organized criminal activity, both felonies, according to affidavits filed today.
A fourth man mentioned in the affidavits as having stolen computers has not yet been charged.
Acting on a tip, Austin Police obtained a search warrant for Harrington’s home and on Oct. 21 found five laptop owned by Flextronics Inc., the affidavits said. Service tags had been removed from the laptops and service tag information about them had been removed from the company’s database, the affidavits said. Investigators found several of the removed service tags in the suspect’s home.
The affidavits say the suspect had been selling computers online that he had gotten from the other suspects. In later interviews, one of the suspects said they had stolen 75 computers from Flextronics, the affidavits said.
Investigators accounted for $38,250 in sales of the stolen computers and continued to track down the computers that had been sold, according to the affidavits.
December 10, 2009
Four charged in substitute teacher scam, police say
A secretary in charge of finding substitute teachers in the Del Valle school district and three of her relatives have been charged with bilking the district out of $11,140 in payments for dozens of days they weren’t at school substituting for regular teachers.
Christa Mae Garcia, 27, is being held on bail totaling $45,000 today in the Travis County Jail, charged by Austin police with engaging in an organized criminal activity, theft by a public servant and tampering with a government record, all felonies, according to criminal affidavits filed today.
Desori Marie Avila, 26, Garcia’s sister, Ruben Jason Avila, 24, Garcia’s brother, and Talitha Sarah Avila, 22, Garcia’s cousin, have been charged with engaging in an organized criminal activity and theft by a public servant, the affidavits said.
The affidavits say that Garcia used her position as a substitute teacher coordinator at Baty Elementary School to make direct payments to the other three between September 2008 and May 2009 for at least 143 days of teaching for which the school district cannot account, the affidavits said.
The investigation determined that Talitha Avila had been paid for 33 days after Sept. 29, 2008, when Baty Elementary School Principal Dawn Cochran told Avila that she was no longer allowed to substitute teach at the school, the affidavits said.
The school district began looking into substitute teaching records in June after its payroll department asked Cochran to confirm that Desori Avila worked at the school in May. A check of the sign-in logs showed no record that Avila had been at Baty in May, the affidavits said.
A further check found at least 10 Baty teachers who had worked a total of more than 100 school days in spite of being marked absent. According to the affidavits, the days of marked absences coincided with the days the three suspects were paid for substituting.
Police investigators found through a check of bank records that the suspects were paid electronically directly from the school district and that large sums of those deposits were transferred into Garcia’s credit union account, the affidavits said.
November 20, 2009
Austin woman accused of stealing $770,000 from employer
An Austin woman who is accused of writing $771,276 in checks from the company she worked for and depositing them into her own accounts has been charged with felony aggregated theft, an arrest warrant affidavit filed today said.
Jennifer Ann Litt, 38, was charged with cashing 152 disbursement checks between May of 2006 and September of 2009 in the name of Mindways Software Inc., an Austin company, while she worked as the company’s office manager, the affidavit said.
While Litt was responsible for paying bills and taking in payments, she was not authorized to sign the disbursement checks traced to four accounts tied to her, the affidavit said.
Mindways later learned that Litt continued depositing checks months after the company fired her after she was indicted by a Travis County Grand Jury for a separate felony theft case under similar workplace circumstances in July of 2007.
Litt was sentenced to two years probation in 2008 after she was convicted on a the felony theft charge, the affidavit said.
She was not in the Travis County Jail on Friday, records show.
October 29, 2009
Woman accused of puppy theft arrested
A 34-year-old woman who police say was identified on video walking out of a South Austin pet store with a Maltese puppy on Sunday is in the Travis County Jail today.
Marixza Melendez is charged with felony theft, felony credit card abuse and failing to identify a fugitive, a misdemeanor. Her bail is set at $5,000, records show.
Police had been searching for Melendez and a companion, Jesse James Calderon, 35, who have been accused of leaving a Petland store at 9900 Interstate 35 near Slaughter Lane with a Maltese puppy valued at $1,500.
Neither Calderon nor the puppy have been found, police said.
Police arrested Melendez after finding her with credit cards taken in the break-in of a car Wednesday night in the 2100 block of East Anderson Lane, according to Police Cpl. Scott Perry. Police later identified her as the woman in the Petland surveillance video and police file photos and charged her with the dog theft, Perry said.
Residents in the area of Kempler Drive, where Melendez and Calderon were living, told police they saw a man in his 30s carry a small pet carrier into and out of the home within the past couple of days.
The man left in a white Dodge Charger with blue racing stripes on the hood, a license plate on the dash and spoke wheels, Perry said.
Austin Police are trying to identify the driver of the car who, they say, might have purchased the Maltese puppy without knowing it was stolen, Perry said.
October 28, 2009
Police identify suspects in puppy theft
Austin police today identified a couple who has been accused of walking out of a South Austin pet store with a $1,500 Maltese puppy.
Jesse James Calderon, 35, and Marixza Melendez, 34, left a Petland store at 9900 Interstate 35 near Slaughter Lane on Sunday with Melendez cradling the puppy, an arrest affidavit said.
The couple had asked a clerk at the store to let them see a female Maltese puppy and then asked him to find out the difference in price between the puppy and a Yorkie, the document said. The couple walked out after the clerk walked away, it said.
Investigators matched surveillance video with police file photos to identify the couple, the affidavit said.
The couple has been charged with theft, but are not in the Travis County Jail, records show.
Video: Petland theft caught on tape
October 26, 2009
Couple steal purebred puppy from Austin pet store
Police are looking for a couple who are accused of stealing a 2-month-old Maltese puppy from an Austin pet store Sunday afternoon.
Police say the couple entered the Petland at 9900 Interstate 35 near Slaughter Lane about 1 p.m. and asked to look at a puppy.
“They asked if we had any Maltese, and they asked specifically for a female,” said Daxa Bhakta, the Petland store manager. “They held the puppy in their arms waiting for the play room to become available. In the meantime they were asking the counselor all these questions. He had to go to the back where we keep all the information, and after the third time, they just walked out the door.”
The puppy carries an identification microchip and is registered with a national pet recovery service, officials said.
The purebred female puppy would normally sell for about $1800, including training sessions for owners, Bhakta said.
“I’m really upset that anyone would stoop that low to take a puppy out of the store,” she said. “We want these people to bring this puppy back. These folks don’t even know what food the puppy is on.”
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Austin Police Department at 974-5558.
October 8, 2009
Police searching for suspected credit card thief
The Austin Financial Crimes Unit is looking for Velma Rowland, who is wanted on several counts of credit card abuse in Travis and Williamson counties. The Austin Police Department in a news release lists six felony arrest warrants and one parole violation warrant for Rowland.
Rowland, 42, is 5 feet and 11 inches tall and weighs about 200 pounds. Police say she frequently wears rectangular reading glasses.
Police suspect Rowland lives in North Austin or Williamson County. Detectives said she is suspected of stealing wallets and purses from office buildings and using the stolen credit and debit cards for purchases at area businesses.
