Category: Tid Bits by Richie Priest

Hello Lytle, here is your latest weekly report: Lytle P.D. officers handled 55 calls for service last week and conducted 64 traffic stops. Those 64 stops resulted in 48 citations and 16 warnings. 
     Property Crimes, we had 6 reports: #1 – The owner of a building in the 15300 Blk. of Main St. reported a window was broken out. #2 – A Norvell St. resident reported that a license plate was stolen. #3 – H.E.B. reported that an unidentified female shoplifted approx. $70 worth of items. #4 – A vehicle parked at the U.S. Post Office was the victim of an attempted catalytic converter theft. #5 – A burglary of a vehicle was reported at Best Western, and a window was broken out. A laptop, cell phone, and misc. items were taken. (Please don’t leave valuables in your vehicle if you can keep from it). #6 – Officers responded to H.E.B for the theft of approx. $67.00 worth of merchandise (the suspect was cited and released, see info. under my arrest report).  
     Arrests, we had 3 – #1 – A traffic stop on Main St. resulted in a DWI arrest. The suspect was booked into the Medina Co. Jail. #2 – A male suspect was cited and released after fleeing the H.E.B. Plus with items valued at $67. He fled on foot and was apprehended on Main St. He took a hair dryer and a charging cube. I’ll never figure out how people come up with the oddest stuff to steal. #3 – Officers on patrol observed a suspect at H.E.B. Plus who had been issued a criminal trespass notice. When confronted, the suspect gave a fictitious name and date of birth. Officers confirmed his identity, and he was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail for criminal trespass and providing false identifying information. Here is my little tip: If you have lived in town your whole life, and all the officers know you …. don’t try the “It is not me” game.  
     The firearm discharge near John Lott Park: On Monday, February 6, officers responded to the 15100 Blk. of Adams St. for a report of “shots fired”. This location is near / adjacent to John Lott Park. Officers determined that a resident fired several shots at a suspect who was committing a burglary of a building. The suspect fled (well, I guess so since somebody was shooting at him). Contrary to the many rumors that began to circulate …. there were no injuries or property damage. The case is under investigation.
     Here is another special event planned for this week: A Community Outreach Fair will be held on Thursday, February 16th at the Lytle Community Center (19031 Priest Blvd). The time will be from 10 AM – 2 PM. Join us and sign up for some amazing assistance programs. Who is eligible to receive assistance? The elderly, veterans, mothers, families, children, and small businesses. Here is just a partial list of programs: Utility assistance, WIC, Life Skills, Counseling, SNAP (food stamps), and Children’s Medicare. Even if you don’t need these services, I am sure you know somebody that does. This is a great opportunity since multiple representatives will be onsite.  
     As always …. feel free to reach out if you have any questions about “policing” in the big city of Lytle. For other information check out the city’s website. For an even quicker glance, the electronic sign in front of the city hall is a good option.  

Here is the latest news from Lytle PD for the week ending January 29th, 2023. Lytle PD officers managed 54 calls for service and conducted 106 traffic stops. 
Those traffic stops resulted in 89 citations and 17 warnings.           
     There was only one arrest last week and it was a cite and release. A traffic stop for an expired registration resulted in the driver being cited for possession of drug paraphernalia.
    Officers took 4 reports for property crimes: #1 – A resident on Cottage St. reported that his push lawn mower was stolen from his driveway, he valued it at $125. I knew it, we get a little rain and now every crook wants a lawn mower. #2 – Criminal Mischief: A window was broken on a vehicle at the Best Western Plus, the damage was estimated at $400. #3 – A suspect attempted to get away with $207 worth of merchandise at H.E.B. Plus. The property was recovered by H.E.B. The suspect left before the arrival of the officers. #4 – A 2010 Ford Econoline Van was stolen from the 19300 Blk. of McDonald St. It was recovered, abandoned up the road in Bexar Co.
     The 2010 Ford 1-ton Econoline van just wasn’t any van, it belonged to my mom! Yep, mom called Saturday morning yelling that somebody stole her van. It was located later that night in Bexar Co. The lock was busted, the steering column was busted, etc. They drove it for a little bit and realized the gas mileage is terrible, parked it, and walked away.  
     Our officers assisted with two “bailouts” involving human smuggling. One was north of the city, where we assisted the Atascosa Co. Sheriff’s Dept. The other was south of the city, and we assisted the Texas Highway Patrol with that one.   
     Last week I was in Huntsville for my week of required police chief training, I am required to attend a 40-hour block once during every two-year training cycle. There were about 50 chiefs in attendance for this session. Lots of municipal chiefs, followed by many ISD police departments, and there were 4 university/community college chiefs as well. I rubbed elbows and chatted with a bunch of big city chiefs….like Eddie Garcia (Dallas PD), Neil Noakes (Fort Worth PD), Claudio Trevino Jr. (Laredo PD), and David Gonzales (Leon Valley PD). One would think you had to be pretty smart to achieve such a high position….. those guys had all week to ask me for advice and never did! So, I guess that is proof that they are pretty smart.

• Richey 

What happened in Lytle last week? I’m glad you asked: Lytle PD officers handled 59 calls for service for the week ending on Sunday January 22.  Your officers conducted 88 traffic stops, those stops resulted in 74 citatIons and 14 warnings. 
Property Crimes:  We only had one possible property crime reported.  A Main St. resident reported his .380 handgun was missing.    
     Arrests:  Officers made three arrests last week:  #1 – A 16 year old male juvenile was detained for assault causing bodily injury (family violence).  He was transported to the Atascosa Co. Juvenile Detention Center.

2 – Officers responded to a report of a driver that was asleep behind the wheel of a moving vehicle!  Ofc. A. Lopez made contact with person and he woke up and sped off towards La Coste.  After a short pursuit he was taken into custody.  The suspect had four active felony warrants and was in possession of a loaded firearm (which is a no-no since he is a convicted felon).  He was booked into the Medina Co. Jail.  

3 –  A traffic stop by Sgt. Hanson on S. Somerset St. resulted in the driver being arrested for DWI. The driver was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail.   

In other news:  
     On Monday, January 16, officers responded to a single vehicle accident on IH-35.  Sadly, the driver did not survive.  He was the sole the occupant.   
     On Thursday, January 19, officers assisted Medina Co. S.O. with a pursuit that resulted in a “bailout”. Of the 10 that fled, 4 were apprehended.  The incident occurred at IH-35 and FM 3175.   
   On the personal side…… I took the three oldest kids over to Beaumont last weekend for a youth conference.   In true Southeast Texas fashion it was cold and rainy, it took me a few minutes to remember what rain was.   

Last week your Lytle PD officers handled 57 calls for service and conducted 86 traffic stops. Officers issued 75 citations with 11 warnings.
Arrests: Officers only had one arrest last week. Ofc. J. Cortez stopped a vehicle on Main St. for speeding and determined the driver to be intoxicated. He was arrested for DWI. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail.
Property Crimes (5 reported): #1 – A mini-storage unit on S. Somerset St. was burglarized. The victim reported that 5 inflatable Halloween decorations were taken, valued at $500. #2 – The construction company doing site work on the Rosewood Subdivision (on FM 2790) reported a $50,000 Caterpillar wheel loader was taken. They were tracking it on GPS, which was found abandoned on Smith Road in Bexar Co. before we could even finish the report. #3 – A person staying at the hotel reported that a window to their vehicle was broken out, and nothing was missing from inside. #4 – A business owner in the 15000 blk. of Main St. reported that a security light was “shot” out. #5 – Officers observed a vehicle with two open doors on Houston St. Contact was made with the owner, who stated a “junk box” was taken and they didn’t want to file any report. I love it when criminals steal worthless items.
In other news …. It looks like the Adoption event at the Lytle Animal Care and Control center was a success. It appears that 7 dogs and 1 cat found new homes! One dog also found a foster home as well. I stopped by the event for a few minutes and saw that our city animal control staff as well as volunteers from Lytle Animal Allies were really busy answering questions and showcasing the animals. They had a bake sale going on too. I was able to resist, but Sgt. David Lopez opted for a brownie.
Hit and run! On Friday night, Ofc. Luis Diaz was patrolling Live Oak St. when out of nowhere a deer tried to jump over the hood of our police Dodge Charger. Luis was surprised, to say the least, the dashcam didn’t record what he said, that’s probably a good thing. His windshield was busted out but other than that there was no damage! The deer just slid across the hood and kept on going. We feel that was just a random incident, we have no credible information to lead us to believe that this was a planned attack on a police vehicle by members of DAPA (Deer Anti-Police Association).
Last Wednesday I celebrated my 23rd wedding anniversary! My wife has been on this police chief journey with me for a long time. That journey has included; lots of missed plans because of work emergencies, tons of phone calls that roll in 24/7, and of course the general stress of this type of work. My kids have been along for a lot of the ride as well and they too have stories to tell. I am blessed to be married to a strong Christian woman who has done more than her share to take care of my family while I am trying to take care of Lytle.
I worked this weekend and it sure was nice to see a lot of people outside, the weather was really nice. During the heat of the summer, people stayed inside. You could drive down street after street and the only people you would see, if you were lucky, was somebody going from their vehicle to the house at a brisk pace. It was like we enacted a daytime, severe heat curfew and included a provision prohibiting rain.

Okay, this just might be a record; our officers only handled 33 calls for service last week! In their spare time officers conducted 100 traffic stops, those stops resulted in 81 citations and 19 warnings.
Property Crimes: It looks like we only had one report last week; it was a shoplifter at H.E.B. Plus. A female made off with approx. $30 worth of cosmetics. It looks like our criminal element is off to a slow start for 2023.
Arrests: Only one arrest last week too! A concerned citizen reported a reckless driver on Main St. and officers located the vehicle and observed him travel in the wrong lane of traffic on Benton City Rd. The driver was arrested for DWI and booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail.
I have lots of information to share this week, so here we go:
Our friends over at Lytle Animal Care and Control have a big adoption event planned for Saturday, January 14th. The event will be held at their facility (17971 W. FM 2790 South) from 10 AM-2 PM. Special pricing too! $25 includes spay/neuter, rabies vaccine, and a microchip.
In a world where prices have skyrocketed, this is a really good deal. If you are looking to provide a dog or cat with a forever home, this is a great opportunity. Be sure and tell your friends and family about this event, as far as I know, the special pricing is valid for this Saturday only.
Our friends at City Hall are firing back up the Quarterly Senior Citizen meeting and luncheon. The first one of this year will be on Thursday, January 19th at noon. This is a great opportunity for our senior citizens to meet, fellowship, and eat. Come see some old friends or make some new ones. The event is held at the Horace Fincher Center on Priest Blvd. Please RSVP by 3 PM on Monday, January 16, to Paola Rios at city hall by email (paola.rios@lytletx.org) or call 830-709-3692 Ext. 109. It’s open to Lytle Residents; I’m not even going to ask what age makes you a senior citizen. You can contact city hall for that info. I will wait to see what’s on the menu, if it looks good, I may “con” my mom into picking up a plate for me.
It wouldn’t be a complete weekly report if I didn’t include some sort of traffic/construction update. So, here it is (this is “big” so pay attention): Starting on Wednesday, January 11th, the southbound access/frontage road from FM 2790 to FM 3175 will convert to one-way. It will be southbound only. To put it like a guy like me understands “The road in front of Bill Millers BBQ will be one-way, going south only…like towards Natalia”. This isn’t permanent; it’s just during the construction which will take several months. We have been dealing with this on the opposite side of the interstate but the traffic flow over there is much less. I am sure it will be interesting. On the bright side, the access roads will be much nicer once all this work is done, I hope I’m still alive to see it completed.
I was out sick most of last week. I spent a few days in bed and then slowly began to recover. Mostly a sore throat, congestion, and tired. I got worried for a little bit; I thought I was like old Bill Murray in that Groundhog Day movie from the early 90s. (He is caught in a time loop and relives the same day over and over.) That’s because every time I woke up and checked the news for several days it was the same thing…. they were taking a vote on the Speaker of the House. Until next week

Welcome to my first weekly report of 2023! Some numbers from last week: Officers handled a total of 65 service calls and conducted 136 traffic stops. Those stops resulted in 113 citations and 23 warnings.
We have been very fortunate that we had very few property crimes reported during the holiday season. Normally, thefts and vehicle burglaries rise for various reasons. People are busy and more distracted; they tend to leave more valuables in their vehicles and pay less attention to what is going on around them. We also have a lot of travelers that pass-through town, some just stopping to shop and others staying at the hotel. So, we have been blessed. For example, this week we only had one possible property crime and it was related to a disturbance at a residence and involved damaged property. We can keep this rolling if citizens stay alert and report suspicious activity. Lock your vehicles and keep your valuables out of sight or better yet, don’t leave them in your vehicle.
Our officers made four arrests this past week, the result of three traffic stops. #1 – Ofc. Pena arrested a female for DWI; she was stopped for driving on the shoulder and was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #2 – Sgt. David Lopez conducted a traffic stop for an expired motor vehicle registration on FM 463. The driver told Sgt. Lopez that he had “warrants” and when Lopez went to detain him observed a .45 cal. Handgun in a shoulder holster. Sgt. Lopez secured the weapon and determined that the suspect had an active felony parole violator warrant. He was a convicted felon and could not legally possess the handgun. He was arrested for Felon in a Possession of a Firearm and booked into the Medina Co. Jail. Ofc. A. Lopez was nearby and responded quickly for backup. Fortunately, this fellow went peacefully. With a parole warrant and another felony, this guy is headed back to prison for sure, had he opted for a way out …. this incident could have ended in tragedy. Arrests #3 & #4 – On January 1st, Ofc. Anthony Lopez conducted a traffic stop for an expired motor vehicle registration on Lytle-Somerset St. and determined the female driver had an active theft warrant out of Bexar Co. Further investigation determined that the male passenger was in possession of cocaine (Haven’t seen that in while, what is this the 80’s?) and THC wax (both felonies). The couple was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. What a way to start off the New Year.
We sent out our first community alert due to a “bailout” of migrants from a police stop. At about 6:30 AM on Friday a State Trooper stopped a Ford F150 and approx. 10-12 individuals fled into the wooded area between TXN Bank and Best Western. Our officers searched the area but were unable to locate them. Our intent is to let residents know so they can keep an eye out for suspicious activity. Often the migrants end up injured and need medical help too.
On Sunday our officers assisted another Trooper that stopped a vehicle on IH-35 and detained 5 immigrants. Since all were detained, no notice was sent out.
Lytle PD fielded a 4-man crew to ring in the New Year. Officers stayed busy and gave numerous warnings for fireworks violations. No serious incidents occurred and overall, it was a safe transfer into 2023. I often work on New Year’s Eve but this year I stayed at home, I guess I was asleep by about 10 PM. I was feeling a bit under the weather, but I would have gone to bed early anyway. I didn’t get called in the middle of the night, which is always a good sign.
I am looking forward to a fun-filled year! We still have our big Stripes C-Store that is set to open in March or so and the big truck stop out on FM 3175 @ IH-35 should start construction soon too. We still have lots of road construction on the access roads of the interstate ahead of us as well. If that doesn’t sound like fun, I don’t know what is. Don’t forget the all the subdivisions construction… I am about ready to proclaim 2023 as the year of “traffic congestion”.

Almost 2023! Last week officers handled 69 calls for police service. That is on the “high” side, surprisingly most of them were minor calls and didn’t require any follow-up. Officers conducted 60 traffic stops, resulting in 53 citations and 7 warnings.
There were no arrests last week.
We had three property crimes reported last week.

1 – A roll-up door at the John Lott Park pavilion was damaged. It appears someone may have been trying to break inside the storage room. #2 – A 2001 Ford F250 was stolen from the apartments on Lytle-Somerset St. It was recovered a few days later in Uvalde Co. I don’t have the details yet, but I would bet it was used in a human smuggling operation. #3 – On Christmas Day, the Lytle One Stop (Exxon) on Main St. reported an attempted theft. While one person distracted the clerk, another person reached behind the counter and grabbed four $50 lottery tickets. The clerk confronted the thief, and he left the tickets behind. When we get him identified we will be sure and add him to the naughty list.

It was awfully cold for a few nights, fortunately, there were no major issues. Public Works did handle a few calls for broken pipes, and they worked to keep the freezing weather from causing issues with our water system.
Maybe you are new to the City of Lytle and are unfamiliar with our ordinances. Here is an important one: The discharge of fireworks is prohibited in the city limits, so no “popping” fireworks, please!
If you happen to see or hear fireworks the perpetrator would be someone who just moved to town. Someone that has lived here for over a year would know about the ordinance and certainly wouldn’t “pop” firecrackers (Would they?). Please report fireworks violations to our dispatcher, the Atascosa Co. Sheriff’s Office @ 830-769-3434 (option #1).
The family and I had a great Christmas, a few activities at church, and a few gifts for the kids. Life is good.
I am an old boring guy, I either work the streets on New Year’s or stay home. This year I will be at the house. But…. we will have extra officers out on the road on New Year’s Eve, our D.W.I. guys will be out in force. Please don’t be our first arrest of 2023. I might come up with a song to go with that.

Christmas here we come! Last week officers handled 49 calls for service and conducted 97 traffic stops. Those stops resulted in 82 citations and 15 warnings.
The Lytle PD had two arrests last week: #1 – On Monday, a wanted person turned himself in to the PD. We had obtained a felony domestic violence warrant on him from an incident the prior week. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #2 – On Sunday Ofc. L. Diaz stopped a vehicle and determined it be reported stolen out of SAPD. The driver was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. The 1994 Ford Ranger was recovered.
We had three property crimes reported last week: #1 – McDonald’s said that they received a counterfeit $100 bill. #2 – H.E.B. Plus reported that a shoplifter left the store with some merchandise, the case is under investigation. #3 – A Lake Side Circle resident said that a bullet entered a glass window of their residence. It appeared to be a large caliber rifle projectile. Most likely came from out in the county somewhere, the case is under investigation.
At the city council meeting last week, the council received an update from our local health authority, Dr. Richard Neel. He reported seeing an increase in the Flu, COVID, and RSV. He said the best prevention is frequently washing your hand and avoiding confined spaces with large groups of people.
Traffic Alert: The city’s public works department will be repairing a water leak on McDonald St. this week. The location is between City Hall and the CVS Pharmacy and there will be some lane shifting. We anticipate the work to start on Tuesday and be completed by Wednesday (if all goes well). It shouldn’t be a major issue, just a heads-up.
Last Monday I was dispatched to the area of Taco Bell for an intoxicated suspect, I found the guy and he was intoxicated for sure. He was just passing through; said he was homeless. I told him I was going to have to take him to jail and he became a little aggressive. I was working alone (all the officers were in Pleasanton for a short training), so I called the City Administrator, Matthew Dear, and asked him to switch hats and become Lt. Dear and give me a hand. It was kind of like when Bruce Wayne becomes Batman except Matt didn’t come from the bat cave; he just came from the city hall parking lot. We got placed him in custody and off to jail I went. I don’t regularly take people to jail. I’m like your average big-city police chief; I mostly just sit around and look good. I got to the jail and took off my weapon and body armor carrier (you can’t take all that stuff in the jail) so that left me with an empty holster and a Lytle PD t-shirt. I was fumbling around with all the paperwork and the ACSO Jail supervisor who was helping me asked “Are you new at Lytle PD?” I just told him “I’ve been here a while”. I need to work on being more regionally recognizable. 

Here is something new: I’m working with our Animal Care and Control Dept. to spotlight a weekly dog and cat that needs a “Forever Home”. Our “Dog of the Week” is Christopher: he’s about seven, sweet, quirky, very cuddly, and wants to be with you all the time. He’d prefer to be with older children and gets along with some dogs, but not all. Our “Cat of the Week” is Valentino: cute, cuddly, and very curious! Silly personality and does well with dogs. Very playful and loves his toys. He also loves to explore… I have attached their pictures to this email, contact Lytle Animal Care and Control @ 830-709-3832 for more information.

Continue reading “Dog of the Week”

The weather has been depressing, at least for me. I could never live in the Pacific Northwest that is for sure. Lytle PD stuff…. We handled 55 calls for service and conducted 61 traffic stops. Officers issued 44 citations and 17 warnings last week.
Officers made 2 arrests last week, both were for DWI. #1 – Intoxicated driver in the Pirate Express Drive-Thru. #2 – A traffic stop on Main St. Nothing too exciting here, but those are the kind of arrests that may have saved the life of the arrested person or an innocent person. Good job officers L. Diaz and S. Pena
Two reports of property crimes were taken. #1 – A complainant reported that household items were taken from her storage unit on FM 2790 E. There were no signs of forced entry. #2 – Criminal mischief was reported at John Lott Park, a trail sign was taken and damaged.
Good news! Both the NB entrance ramp to IH-35 and the NB exit ramp to Lytle are now open! There will still be construction in the area but at least the ramps are functioning.
Last Friday, we had our first employee Christmas dinner. In the past, we had a luncheon for the employees and elected officials, but this year immediate family members were invited as well, and we held it in the evening. It was nice to get to see the families of other employees and get to know them. I think it was a smashing success! I guess that is why office parties have been around for years, I just never have been to one. I am normally reserved and keep to myself, but the Italian food made me feel comfortable and let down my guard. I still think I may have done more eating than talking. Special thanks to Paola Rios, our City Secretary, for setting it up.
Congratulations are in order for Ofc. David D. Lopez. He is now Sergeant David D. Lopez. A promotion for him was approved on Dec. 1st. He will help fill the supervisor void left by Lt. Dear moving to City Administrator and Captain Frank Reyes’ retirement. David has been with us for almost 10 years and holds an Advanced Texas Peace Officer license. If my records are correct, this is the first promotion for a full-time officer in over 10 years. This is not something we just hand out on a regular basis.
I ended the week by opening my home and hosting a Christmas party for our church’s youth group. We had a good time; it would have been nice if the weather had been better, and we could have had some outside activities. Nobody got hurt, nobody got TASED, and nobody got pepper sprayed… I have learned my lesson. The last thing I need is to get kicked out of another church.
This Saturday, Dec. 10th, is the annual Christmas Hayride/Holiday Lighting event. Meet us at the Lytle Community Center on Priest Blvd. at 6 pm, I suggest you get there early. The admission cost to the hayride is $1 or one canned good per person. Now before all this inflation the “one canned good” was probably the better value. I am not so sure now! I also want to clarify that I have never gone through the canned goods, picked out the ravioli, and replaced it with a dollar. Those are rumors started by people to discredit my good name and highlight my love of ravioli.