Medina County sheriff’s office was called to the scene of a woman who had been stabbed and left on the side of the road with a child this past Wednesday night, March 29. “A man, woman and child were traveling on I-35 when the adults got into some sort of argument, and the woman was stabbed. The suspect then kicked them out. We responded to the call, and transported the victim to the hospital. The suspect fled south to Frio County where he wrecked out and was also airlifted to University Hospital.” When the suspect Jose Toribio Rodriguez, 45 of Laredo, was released from the hospital, he was placed under arrest and taken to Medina County Jail. Rodriguez is facing charges of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. The sheriff reported the mother and child are okay. Rodriguez remains behind bars as of Tuesday with a $250,000 surety bond.
03/13/2023-Terroristic Threats – Officer on duty responded to call which involved a letter received in the mail that contained an unidentifiable white power. Outside law enforcement agencies were contacted and the white powder was found to be non harmful. 03/15/2023-Parking Violation – Officer on duty observed an 18 wheeler illegally parked and issued a violation citation. 03/16/2023-Evade Arrest – While Officer on duty was conducting routine patrol rounds in the city of Natalia, he encountered a person of interest and made contact with the individual. The Officer confirmed the individual had an active outstanding warrant. As the Officer started to take the subject into custody the subject pulled away and evaded arrest. 03/18/2023-Disturbance – Officer responded to a disturbance involving two girlfriends who had been drinking. The Officer spoke to both parties and offered a courtesy ride home for the night until the alcohol wore off. 03/18/2023-Welfare Concern – Officer on duty responded to a welfare check on a man in a motorized wheelchair traveling on TX-132and FM 471S. Contact was made and all was well. 03/18/2023- AOA – Officer on duty was dispatched to Town and Country to assist the resident get his wheelchair up the handicap ramp. 03/19/2023-Traffic Hazard – Officer on duty was dispatched to an accident on IH35. Officer ensured all parties involved were not injured and contacted a tow truck to take possession of the vehicles involved in the accident.
Monday, March 13 1:14 AM – 15100 Blk. Main St. – Officers responded to a verbal disturbance between two individuals. 1:41 AM – 15300 Blk. Main St. – Officers responded to an active alarm. The business was secure. 2:15 AM – 15100 Blk. Main St. – Officers responded to a broken glass frame in the front door. A 47 year old female was arrested while driving away for DWI, and a 37 year old male was arrested for criminal mischief >$750 <$2,500. Both were booked into the Atascosa County jail. 11:15 AM – Lytle PD – Officer spoke to a parent regarding an incident that occurred at the school. The female was advised to contact the school resource officer. 12:25 PM – Lytle PD – Officer spoke to the guardian of a runaway juvenile requesting new information. 1:36 PM – Lytle PD – Officer spoke to a resident requiring information on towing a vehicle from their property. 3:25 PM – Assist Atascosa EMS – 19500 Blk. Florence St. – Officer assisted a patient having a medical emergency. 3:38 PM – 14900 Blk. Main St. – Officer responded to a criminal mischief call for a broken window resulting in $200 to $300 worth of damage. 4:09 PM – IH 35 SB @ MM 130 – Officer responded and removed a chair from the roadway. Tuesday, March 14 10:47 AM – 15100 Blk. Adams St. – Officer responded to a report of receiving play money from a customer. 12:05 PM – 15100 Blk. Main St. – Officer spoke to a female regarding a suspicious person at the business at 7:49 PM the previous night. Everything was okay. 4:26 PM – 15000 Blk. Harbour St. – Officer spoke to a resident regarding someone knocking on her door at 5:00 AM. 10:33 PM – 15300 Blk. Main St. – Officer responded to an active alarm. The business was secure. 11:36 PM – FM 3175 @ IH 35 NB Frontage Rd. – Officer observed a stranded vehicle and provided a jump start. Wednesday, March 15 8:55 AM – 18900 Blk. FM 2790 – Officer provided an escort out of town for the girl’s powerlifting team. 12:50 PM – Assist Texas DPS – IH 35 NB @ MM 132 – Officers assisted with a traffic stop on a stolen vehicle. 1:12 PM – Assist Atascosa County EMS – 19200 Blk. Blume Dr. – Officers responded to assist a patient having a medical emergency. 4:30 pm – Live Oak Side – Officer responded to assist Animal Control with two aggressive dogs but was canceled upon arrival after Animal Control contacted the dog’s owner. 5:01 PM – 19500 Blk. McDonald St. – Officers responded to a two-vehicle minor non-injury traffic accident. 6:08 PM – Assist Atascosa County EMS – 15400 Blk. Main St. – Officers responded to assist a patient having a medical emergency. 6:44 PM – 14800 Blk. Main St. – Officer responded to a report of a fake $20 bill received from a customer. 8:21 PM – 19300 Blk. Main St. – Officer responded to a loose dog at the above business. Animal Control was contacted. 10:03 PM – Assist Medina County S.O. – IH 35 NB South of City – Officers responded to a MCSO deputy not answering his radio. Officers arrived and discovered the deputy had five undocumented subjects detained. The driver fled and was not located. 11:00 PM – 14700 Blk. Main St. – A juvenile reported as a runaway on 3/10 returned home. Thursday, March 16 5:10 AM – IH 35 NB Frontage Rd @ FM 3175 – Officer responded to a report of two males stealing rebar from the work site. The supervisor was contacted and advised that the males were permitted to take the scrap rebar. 9:30 AM – Lytle PD – Officer spoke to a male regarding a vehicle claimed to be stolen out of Bexar County. 10:12 AM – HWY 132 @ IH 35 Frontage Rd. – Officer spoke to a male regarding a property dispute over a loaned vehicle. 10:12 AM – Railroad St – Officer responded to a train blocking all the crossings on Railroad St. The train was repaired and moved on. 11:25 AM – 20000 Blk. IH 35 NB Frontage Rd – Officers responded to a white pickup loading scrap metal. Everything was okay. 1:48 PM – Lytle PD – Officer spoke to a female regarding an accident reported to occur on 3/11/2023 at the HEB Plus. 2:02 PM – 15000 Blk. Gate St. – Officer spoke to a male regarding a gunshot heard earlier in the morning. 2:23 PM – 14400 Blk. Main St. – Officers responded to an active alarm. The business was secure. 4:00 PM – Lytle PD – Officer spoke to a female regarding illegal dumping in the Coal Mine Subdivision. 5:00 PM – 19300 Blk. McDonald St. – Report of a dog in a vehicle. The dog was okay, and the vehicle was running with the A/C on. 6:20 PM – 630 Blk. CR 6716 Natalia, Tx – Officer responded for a follow-up investigation. 6:45 PM – 20300 Blk. IH 35 – Officers responded to change a flat for a stranded female. 7:20 PM – Lytle PD – Officer returned a driver’s license to a female. 7:59 PM – 19300 Blk. McDonald St. – Officers responded to a disturbance that resulted in the arrest of a 31 year old male for active warrants for theft of >$100<$750 out of Bexar County and an active warrant out of Wilson County for theft. He was booked into the Atascosa County jail. 8:55 PM – Main St. @ Somerset St. – Officer initiated a traffic stop for disregarding the red light, which resulted in the arrest of a 41 year old female for an active warrant out of Bexar County for Fail to Report Highway Damage >$200. She was booked into the Atascosa County jail. Friday, March 17 12:52 AM – 19400 Blk. McDonald St (All businesses) – Officer responded to an active alarm. The area was secure. 2:51 AM – IH 35 @ Lytle-Somerset St. – Officer responded and moved cones blocking the roadway. 7:18 AM – 14600 Blk. FM 2790 – Officer responded to a man sleeping outside the bank. Everything was okay. 8:16 AM – 20100 Blk. IH 35 – Officer responded to a man outside the bank. Everything was okay. 11:03 AM – 19200 Blk. McDonald St. – Officer responded to unlock a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado. 11:45 AM – 19300 Blk. McDonald St. – Officer responded to a vehicle dinging the other vehicle with another vehicle door. 2:45 PM – 14900 Blk. Lytle-Somerset St. – Officer responded to an open fire. The resident extinguished the fire. 4:08 PM – Assist Atascosa EMS – 15000 Blk. Mesquite St. – Officer responded to assist a patient with a medical emergency. 7:06 PM – 15000 Blk. Mesquite St. – Officer responded to a child custody dispute. 8:54 PM – Magnolia St. via phone call. – Officer spoke to a resident regarding speeding motorcycles. Saturday, March 18 3:01 AM – IH 35 @ FM 2790 – Officers initiated a traffic stop for running a red light that resulted in the arrest of a 34 year old male for DWI after crashing into the draining ditch. He was booked into the Atascosa County jail. 1:28 PM – Lytle PD – Officer spoke to a male regarding unwanted text messages. 1:42 PM – Lytle PD – Officer spoke to a complainant regarding the suspicious activity that occurred earlier on 3/17/2023. 8:11 PM – Assist Texas DPS – FM 2790 @ CR 6710 – Officers responded and assisted with traffic control for an accident. 9:50 PM a – Assist Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office – IH 35 NB – Officers responded to watch for a stolen Ford F350 but could not locate the vehicle. Sunday, March 19 1:26 AM – Assist Bexar County Sheriff’s Office – IH 35 SB – Officer responded to assist in a pursuit heading toward Lytle, but the vehicle changed direction before entering the city. The Lytle PD was not involved in the pursuit. 1:33 AM – 19500 Blk. McDonald St. – Officers initiated a traffic stop for driving the wrong way on the SB frontage Rd., resulting in a pursuit down FM 2790 E. The officers terminated the pursuit at Luckey Rd. 10:45 AM – 14900 Blk. Main St. – Officers spoke to a male that sat $3,000 on a case of water, which another customer picked up. Fortunately, officers recovered $2,759 and returned it to the victim. 1:45 PM – Magnolia St. – Officers responded to a report of a speeding motorcycle and could not locate it. 3:30 PM – 16000 Blk. Lake Shore Dr. – Officer provided a courtesy ride to a female due to a loose dog in the area. 5:05 PM – 19300 Blk. McDonald St. – Officer responded to unlock a 2015 Kia Sorrento.
March 3 7:41 am – Officer dispatched to Hondo Ave to assist AEP with traffic control while they worked on cable. 9:40 am – Complainant on Lee Dr. called regarding downed power lines hanging low. Officer made location and it appeared they were phone or cable lines not power. 9:45 am – Officer dispatched to SH173 for railroad crossing arms down. Reported to Union Pacific. 9:48 am – Officer dispatched to Herring Ave for railroad crossing arms down. Reported to Union Pacific. 11:23 am – Complainant on Malone Dr reported a drone being flown around area. 11:24 am – Complainant on Jack Nicklaus Dr reported a suspicious vehicle in the area. Unable to locate. 11:35 am – Officer dispatched to SH 173 to assist with traffic control while lights were being services. 12:18 pm – Officer dispatched to Mockingbird Ln for down power line in tree. 12:56 pm – Officer cited male subject on IH 35 N for DWI and released him. Courtesy ride given to Lowes. 15:47 pm – Complainant on Oakhill called about 18 wheelers parked facing the wrong way. 16:35 pm – Complainant on Hondo Ave reported suspicious vehicle, blue gray in color parked behind property. Unable to locate. March 4 7:49 am – Officer dispatched to IH 35 for a one vehicle accident. Vehicle struck guard rail. 8:40 am – Male subject jailed for an outstanding warrant in Frio County. DWLI with previous convictions. 12:34 pm – Officer dispatched to Jack Nicklaus Dr for 911 hang up near golf course. Did not observe anyone in distress. 14:46 pm – Officer stopped vehicle on Dixon Dr. Female subject cited for possession of drug paraphernalia and released. 23:50 pm – Officer assisted MCSO with DWI male subject on IH 35 S. March 5 2:29 am – Complainant on Herring Ave reported a suspicious male. Unable to locate. 10:45 am – Complainant on Wedgewood Way reported suspicious male wearing black hoodie walking in area. Unable to locate. 15:07 pm – Officer assisted DPS with cover on IH 35 N for bailout. March 6 3:18 am – Officer dispatched to IH 35 S for a blue Honda all over the roadway. Unable to locate – delayed by a train. 17:14 pm – Officers dispatched to IH 35 Ave for panhandlers on location. Unable to locate. 17:15 pm – Complainant on Commercial Dr reported male subject dragging scrap metal around. Male is housed at Sterling Residential. He was returned to residence. 18:25 pm – Officer dispatched to IH 35 S in reference to a little boy walking around with no shit and shoes. All okay, boy with family. 23:58 pm – Complainant on IH 35 S reported unknown vehicle struck their vehicle while he was at work. March 8 3:17 am – Complainant on Fullerton Dr reported he heard noise and two voices coming from behind shed in his backyard. Searched area, unable to locate anyone. 8:54 am – Complainant on SH 132 N reported damage to lock to dumpster. Occurred on March 2. 14:55 pm – Complainant on Hondo Ave called about possible shots being fired in area. Unknown source or exact location. Unable to locate, everything appeared to be okay. 16:03 pm – Officer dispatched to Hondo Ave for a minor accident. 17:15 pm – Complainant on IH 35 S called regarding a male subject driving a white Chevy suburban walked out of store with a vacuum cleaner valued at $158. 19:29 pm- Officer dispatched to IH 35 S for report of an 18 wheeler speeding and flashing lights at other vehicles. Unable to locate. 19:48 pm – Complainant on IH 35 S reported a vehicle stalled in slow lane of traffic. Unable to locate. 21:15 pm – Complainant on IH 35 N reported silver F150 speeding. Pick up failed to yield near mm 124. 22:43 pm – Complainant on Ross reported male subject yelling at passing vehicles in the ear. Made contact with male and transported by EMS to Southwest General. March 9 1:30 am – Complainant on Enterprise Ave advised a maroon Dodge pickup in parking lot. Unknown who it belonged to. All okay, driver was employee who delivers medical supplies to facility. 10:49 am – Complainant on Zigzag Ave reported someone putting mail in mailboxes. After making contact with subject, they stated they worked for US Post Office and that their mail truck had broken down and was using vehicle. 12:55 pm – Complainant on Hondo Ave reporting unknown older white male approached them making threats. Subject Id’d; parties were separated. 14:18 pm – Complainant on Hondo Ave advised his truck was struck while parked at convenience store. 15:50 pm – Officer dispatched to Hondo Ave for minor accident. 16:00 pm – Officer dispatched to Hondo Ave for verbal disturbance between parties of previous accident. Parties were separated. 20:38 pm – Complainant on Hondo Ave advised male subject asking for money and possibly taking beer from store. Male subject was intoxicated and jailed.
Last Friday, March 10th was a busy day for deputies in Medina County. In one bazaar incident, a resident was unloading his vehicle and carrying things into his office when a vehicle thief hopped into the vehicle and took off. Thankfully, the owner wasn’t in the vehicle at the time of contact. Medina County Sheriff’s Office quickly pursued the suspect who led them on a chase well into Bexar County. Both suspects were captured and arrested. In another case, a deputy on duty noticed a suspicious vehicle and pursued it. This resulted in the discovery of two stolen Dodge Chargers, which were found at a home in Hunter’s Lake Subdivision near Natalia and the arrest of another suspect for vehicle theft. The vehicles had just been reported stolen the day prior out of San Antonio.
The Medina County Sheriff’s office received an alarming report of a person walking with a long rifle near the school in D’Hanis last Friday afternoon. A thorough investigation led to discovery of the suspect and one un-related arrest warrant for a stolen firearm at the same residence. Even though the suspect’s weapon turned out to be a bb/pellet gun, he applauded the quick action taken by school staff. “Everyone did just as they should,” Sheriff Randy Brown said after completing a thorough investigation. “The janitor saw a woman walking with a long rifle-like gun near the school and the school went into lockdown quickly as the principal contacted us. Our investigation led us to identifying the probable person and the gun.” “The gun turned out to be a long bb/pellet gun, but looks similar to an AR rifle,” Sheriff Brown said. “While there, we noticed there were other guns at the residence. We ended up executing a search warrant at the residence, which is owned by a man who is a convicted felon, and one of those firearms was reported stolen.” “The woman who was reported walking with the bb/pellet gun did not commit a crime, however, the man who owns the home will face charges for the stolen firearm in the home,” Sheriff Brown said. The woman told investigators she was just walking from one house to another.
PRESS RELEASE Medina County Criminal District Attorney’s Office Wednesday, March 8, 2023 Jeff Diles, Assistant District Attorney and G.O.N.E. Prosecutor for the Medina County Criminal District Attorney (MCCDA), Mark P. Haby, announced that Patricia Ann Lara, of Hondo, was sentenced today by a Medina County Jury to nine years of imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for delivery of 1.44 grams of methamphetamine. The sentence was imposed by the same jury that found Lara guilty of the offense on March 7, 2023. Lara was the first case falling under the umbrella of the MCCDA G.O.N.E. initiative (Gangs, Organized Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Enforcement) to be resolved by a jury trial. Lara was one of 21 individuals arrested in an early morning warrant roundup in January of 2022 after the Medina County grand jury in Hondo and a federal grand jury in San Antonio returned indictments earlier that month charging 24 men and women with several state and federal felonies. The indictments resulted from an investigation of a methamphetamine distribution network operating in Medina County. The investigation, which unearthed methamphetamine distribution activities extending to multiple Texas counties as well as Mexico, began in October of 2020 as a collaborative effort of HPD, MCSO, supported by the MCCDA G.O.N.E. initiative. Lara had been identified as an investigation target due to her associations with other players in the larger investigation. Jury selection for the trial began on Monday, March 6 and the State, represented by Assistant District Attorneys Jeff Diles and Christian Neumann, concluded its presentation of witnesses and evidence by noon on Tuesday. Witnesses for the state included the two investigators of the Medina County Sheriff’s office, the purchaser of the methamphetamine, a private citizen who was paid by law enforcement to purchase the drugs from Lara, and the chemist for the Texas DPS lab in Abilene who confirmed that the substance delivered was methamphetamine. Investigators described how they met with the buyer, referred to as a Cooperating Individual or CI, prior to the buy to confirm that the buyer did not have drugs or money on their person or in their car then provided the buyer with cash from the Medina County Sheriff Drug Forfeiture Fund (not taxpayer funds) and a device for covertly recording the transaction. They also stated that they were able to watch the transaction on a live feed from the recording device and that they followed the CI from a safe distance and were able to park in a location where they could see the CI make contact with Lara in a vehicle in the parking lot of the Regency Hotel in Hondo where the transaction took place. Lara’s face was never seen on the video from the recording device, the investigators showed the jury an image from the video of a distinctive upper-arm tattoo and tattoo photos taken at the jail of Lara after a previous arrest that showed the same distinctive upper-arm tattoo. When the CI was called as a witness, they entered the courtroom from a secure area wearing a prison jumpsuit and shackles. The CI is currently serving a prison sentence for a drug related offense and testified in this case after a bench warrant was issued by the presiding Judge requiring the CI to be brought to court to testify. The CI’s testimony matched the statements made by the investigators, and the CI confirmed it was in fact Lara who conducted the delivery of the methamphetamine, ”I gave her the money. She gave me the drugs.” The CI also identified the defendant in the courtroom as the person who gave her the methamphetamine that day. Sarah McGregor from the DPS Crime Lab in Abilene walked the jury through the drug testing process used by DPS labs and specifically the testing used on the drugs acquired from Lara during the transaction to confirm that it was methamphetamine that was purchased by the CI. The defense produced no witnesses on behalf of Lara, and the jury delivered a unanimous guilty verdict before 4:00 p.m. that same day. The punishment phase of the trial began without delay. The state submitted evidence of Lara’s prior felony conviction and prison sentence for Injury to an Elderly Person, and Lara’s defense team presented character witnesses on behalf of Lara. Lara was represented by attorneys with the Hill Country Regional Public Defender’s Office, and Judge Daniel J. Kindred, 454th Judicial District Judge, presided over the trial.
Little is being released about the FBI’s presence in Medina County this past week. However, an arrest was made that day. “The operation went down without any problems. Mission complete,” said Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown. There were shots fired in the area that day, which caused alarm in the community, but it was not at the location where the FBI search was taking place, he explained. “I cannot say anything other than that we were asked to assist the FBI, and I would like to reassure residents that everyone is safe,” Sheriff Brown said. Brown could not confirm the location of the search which was in the Castroville area according to other brief media reports.
The case in Devine which began with a bailout involving ten suspects in the early morning hours, finally wrapped up with two final apprehensions in Devine near the end of the day. One suspect was in someone’s apartment sitting in the recliner when officers walked in, Devine PD said.
A suspect hauling 10 illegal immigrants from El Salvador was spiked as it came flying into Devine around 8:45 in the morning, but the suspects continued on quite a wild ride resulting in an hours-long ordeal this past Monday, March 13. “DPS spiked the vehicle in front of their office on Hwy 132, but the pursuit continued, veering off to the left, going through the Shell gas station parking lot, then onto East Hondo Avenue near four corners, and down several city streets until the car eventually came to a stop,” Devine PD Chris Andrews said. The bailout finally happened along the railroad tracks north of Dilley Street (across from Savannah’s Carwash).
“There’s barbwire from all over Frio County under this pickup truck,” said one landowner in Bigfoot/Moore after repairing fences this truck busted through. This bailout was going on in Moore, the night before the search on Devine streets. The driver of this F250 ran through many fences on some of the same ranches that were hit twice in the past two weeks. Photo courtesy of Bryan Persyn.
“All ten of them jumped out and started running in all directions. Some of them ran at least a mile,” Lieutenant Andrews said. “We captured eight of them, with some who ran as far as Fox Run/Libold that morning.” One local resident, Ms. Bales, spotted the two men around 9 AM, and another local resident captured this photo several hours later of one of the same suspects she spotted, wearing red clothes and a mohawk as he was taken into custody. “This morning I called 911. I saw two young men running through my front yard, jumped over my 6 foot privacy fence, through my back yard and then out my back gate.” The search for people who bailed out occupied the departments time from 8:45 AM- Noon, and again from 1:45PM-5PM , when they were back at it, searching for the other two men who were still unaccounted for. One of the subjects was found in an apartment on Malone Drive. When we walked in he was sitting in the recliner eating potato chips. The second man was found hiding in a shed on Howard Drive. “We just handed them over to Border Patrol a few minutes ago,” Lieutenant Andrews said around 5 pm. Most of the subjects claimed to be from El Salvador and a couple from Honduras, according to Devine PD.
Medina County Criminal District Attorney’s Office David Garcia, Jr. is facing a murder charge for the shooting death of 16-year-old Athen Graff. Graff’s body was found in a field just outside of the Castroville City Limits just before 9 p.m. on December 2nd, 2020, not far from his home. Within days, investigators from the Medina County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a San Antonio home leading to the arrest of David Garcia, Jr., then 18-years-old, for murder. Investigators were able to tie Garcia to the death of Graff through messages found on Graff’s phone, showing a conversation taking place shortly before Graff’s death. Physical evidence found at Garcia’s far westside San Antonio home on Paseo Derecho further corroborated Garcia’s connection to the field where Graff was found shot. Graff was a student at Medina Valley High School and resident of the Castroville area. Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Monday, December 5th, 2022, in the 454th Judicial District Court with Judge Daniel Kindred Presiding. If found guilty, Garcia could face up to life in prison.
