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PD investigating 15-18 shots fired at apartments

LYTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT PRESS RELEASE – SHOTS FIRED INVESTIGATION (Aggravated Assault w/Deadly Weapon)
On March 5, 2026, at approximately 11:00 PM, officers with the Lytle Police Department responded to reports of multiple gunshots in the 14900 block of Main Street (Pecan Grove Apts.). Officers quickly arrived on scene, secured the area, and began an investigation.


Preliminary findings indicate that approximately 15 to 18 rounds were fired from two separate firearms during the incident. Investigators have determined that no one was hit during the shooting and that the shooting was a targeted event, with no indication of an ongoing threat to the general public at this time.
During the course of the investigation, one suspect has been identified and taken into custody in connection with the shooting. Detectives continue to actively investigate the incident and are working to identify two additional suspects believed to be involved.


The investigation remains ongoing, and additional information will be released as it becomes available.
Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the Lytle Police Department.
📞 830-709-0277
📧 lytlepolice@lytletx.org

Meet creative, 15-year-old Izabelle

Meet 15-year-old Izabelle, who is starting the new year with the dream of becoming part of her Forever Family.
Izabelle is a sweet and imaginative young girl who enjoys engaging in arts and crafts. Her creativity comes through especially when she spends time on her original coloring artwork.
Izabelle enjoys spending time at home, but when there is a chance for an outing, it’s a trip to the movies, followed by eating at McDonald’s, where her favorite item to order is Chicken McNuggets.
Some Fun Facts about Isabelle: She is learning to speak Spanish, she is a fan of pets, she enjoys arts & crafts, and she likes to help in the kitchen and learn about cooking.
With a strong love for animals, she likes spending time with pets, and they like her as she has a gentle and calm demeanor with them. She would like her future Forever Family to know she would like her family to have a pet of any kind she could help care for.
If you think you could be a forever family for Izabelle or another Texas child, please call 1-800-233-3405 for more information or visit www.adoptchildren.org where you can find a schedule of online public information meetings, and learn about the foster/adoption program.
You can also view the www.heartgallerystx.org website, where South Texas children have their portraits along with individual personal stories they wish to share, with their future forever family.

Basic Adoption Requirements
The prospective foster/adoptive parents may be single or married and must:
be at least 21 years of age, financially stable, and responsible mature adults
complete an application (staff will assist you if you prefer)
share information regarding their background and lifestyle
provide relative and non-relative references
show proof of marriage and/or divorce (if applicable)
agree to a home study which includes visits with all household members
allow staff to complete a criminal history background check and an abuse/neglect check on all adults in the household
attend free training

Medina County top lawman devises “Brown Box” for improved school security

To date, four prototypes of the Brown Box has been built. At least two companies – one based in Dallas and the other in Houston – are pursuing the rights to build and sell it commercially, Brown said. However, Brown has repeatedly stated that his preference is to pursue federal grant money or even donations to make the device available.

By Anton Riecher
At 2 a.m., the morning following the most deadly school shooting in Texas history, Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown was still awake and thinking about all that had happened.
“I remember the clock chiming in my house after coming home from Uvalde,” Brown said. “I thought ‘What can we do?’ because we always have to be proactive. If we’re not proactive, then we’ve lost.”
What he thought about was a tool box, a readily available yet secure storage container designed to give law enforcement immediate access to the weapons and defensive equipment needed to protect those threatened by an active shooter in their midst.
A prototype of just such a tool box is currently undergoing testing at the James W. Danner Sr. training center annex in Hondo with the cooperation of County Judge Keith Lutz. Brown also made a presentation on the project Feb. 24 during the Natalia school board meeting.
The project has been dubbed “The Brown Box.”
A video shown…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

KB index puts Medina County in “extreme potential for fire” emergency mgr. warns

By Anton Riecher
A burn ban for Medina County in effect since Dec. 1 has been extended an additional 90 days beginning Feb. 28 by county commissioners on the recommendation of Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Chadwick.
Using the Keetch-Bryam drought index as a fire risk barometer, Medina County ranks 704 out of a possible 800 as of Feb. 23, placing the county in “a really extreme potential for fire,” Chadwick said.
On a motion by Precinct 3 Commissioner David Lynch, seconded by Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Sittre, the Medina County Commissioners…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Lytle council allows private firm to test water process locally

Lytle ISD Superintendent Dustin Breithaupt, foreground left, topped the agenda at the Feb. 23 Lytle City Council, thanking Police Chief Richard Priest, center, and his department for their quick action when nearly 40 students left campus in a recent walk-out protest akin to many seen across the state. Priest said his immediate concern was that “those situations can dynamically change so quickly based on who’s driving by and what mood they’re in.” Fortunately, the protest remained peaceful. (Photo by Anton Riecher)

By Anton Riecher
Permission for a Wyoming-based company to use city owned property adjoining the Lytle wastewater treatment plant as the location for a pilot program to extract and condense humidity from the atmosphere as a sustainable water source was granted by the Lytle City Council at its Feb. 23 meeting.
City Administrator Zachary Meadows said the project proposed by 109 Capital Partners LLP calls for construction of a special facility to test its evaporation process technology in the United States.
“Tonight, we are presented with a license agreement for your consideration between 109 Capital Partners and the city of Lytle for the construction and operation of an atmospheric water tower,” Meadows said.
These systems typically extract humidity from the air and condense the resulting moisture into potable water as an alternative to drilling wells in rural regions. The agreement…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Medina County okays “largest, most expansive” PID bond thus far

Medina County Precinct 3 Commissioner David Lynch, left, County Judge Keith Lutz, center, and Precinct 3 Commissioner Larry Sittre at the Feb. 23 Commissioners Court meeting in Hondo. (Photo by Anton Riecher)

By Anton Riecher
In four separate unanimous votes during its Feb. 23 meeting the Medina County Commissioners Court approved establishing assessment revenue to support the first public improvement district for the 472-acre Viera subdivision.
The newly established PID will cover the cost of roadway improvements, drainage and landscaping for a 114-area of the new subdivision, said R.J. Rios with McCall, Parkhurst and Horton, special counsel to the county for subdivision development.
“If everything goes to plan with public improvements, Public Improvement Area No. 1 will be completed and then deed to the county in the fourth quarter of 2026,” Rios said.
A PID is a defined, geographically designated area established by a city or county under state law to fund…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Natalia Fire Prevention Poster Winners

Natalia Elementary Fire Prevention Poster Winners did really well. These posters will go to SFFMA Convention this summer in Waco in June. Left – Right: Tayton Hughan 2nd place of the Intermediate Division (3rd & 4th grade), 1st Place Charlee Brown of Intermediate Division, Ruston Hughan of Kindergarten Division, Delton Hughan 3rd Place of Intermediate Division. Congratulations to all these kids.

Slow down in developments

By Anton Riecher
In a status report on subdivisions, Lytle City Administrator Zachary Meadows said that 190 homes of 392 planned for the Saddle Ridge subdivision stand completed. Phases one and six of the development are completed, and phase five, including 50 homes, has reached the midway mark.
Meadows presented the report during the Feb. 23 regular session of the Lytle City Council.
Although 15 more permits for construction at Saddle Ridge have been granted, no further construction has begun, Meadows said. Developers were was granted a six-month extension by the council in November 2025 on its approved plat for phases three and four, involving 147 homes,.
Final plats for phases three and four are expected to be presented to the planning and zoning commission and the city council in the coming months.
According to the San Antonio Express News, subdivision…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Local Athletes headed to Nike Nationals in New York!

The team includes Twister Kluth (Hondo, sophomore), Rowdy Esparza (Devine, junior), Ryan Weinkam (Devine, senior), and Sebastian Garcia (Lytle, junior). Photo courtesy of JVail Photography..

A talented group of track athletes from Devine, Hondo, and Lytle are preparing to compete on one of the biggest stages in high school track and field the Nike National Track Meet in New York City.
The four athletes have qualified as a 4×400 relay team, an impressive accomplishment that brings together runners from multiple schools and showcases the strength of small-town athletics across the area. The team includes Twister Kluth (Hondo, sophomore), Rowdy Esparza (Devine, junior), Ryan Weinkam (Devine, senior), and Sebastian Garcia (Lytle, junior).
Rowdy and Ryan both run with Devine Speed, and later joined forces with Twister and Sebastian who run with Tri-County Track & Field Club to form the 4×400 relay team, a collaboration that has proven successful at the national-qualifying level.
In addition to qualifying with the relay team, Rowdy has also earned individual qualifications in the triple jump, long jump, and the 400-meter dash, giving him the opportunity to compete in multiple events at the national meet.
As the boys prepare for the trip to New York, they have been overwhelmed by the support from their communities. Local businesses, families, and supporters from Devine, Hondo, and Lytle have stepped up by sponsoring, donating drawing items, purchasing tickets, and helping spread the word to help cover travel expenses.
The team is currently holding a drawing featuring over $2,000 in prizes, and tickets are still available. The athletes will be selling tickets at Market Place in Devine all day on Saturday, March 7th. The drawing will take place on Sunday, March 8, at 3:00 p.m., and winners do not need to be present to win.
As these young athletes get ready to represent their hometowns on a national stage, they do so with pride and with the support of an entire community behind them.