Category: Tid Bits by Richie Priest

Lytle P.D. officers made it through last week by handling 53 calls for service and conducting 98 traffic stops. Of those 98 traffic stops, 69 resulted in a citation and 29 were either verbal or written warnings.  
       We had five property crimes reported last week: #1 – H.E.B. Plus reported a female with a child attempted to make off with $88 worth of product. The property was recovered by store staff, the case is under investigation. #2 – Somebody thought it would be cool to graffiti the baby changing table in a restroom at John Lott Park. #3 – A Harbour St. resident reported their Waste Management trash can as stolen. On a side note, these normally turn up a day or two later after ending up at the wrong house. #4 – A complainant reported his wallet containing $117 cash, a Mexico DL, and his Mexico Consulate card was lost at H.E.B. Plus. #5 – A suspect attempted to cut into a storage unit at Lytle Self Storage on FM 2790, he damaged the lock and door (an arrest was made, see the arrest section). #6 – A suspect threw a rock and broke a window at Tots to Teen Dentistry. The suspect has been identified. 
       Arrests for last week: #1 – Officers arrested a male for a domestic violence charge, before being booked into jail he requested medical care for an existing condition. He was taken to the hospital in Jourdanton for clearance, it was determined he needed to be admitted. He was released and officers will seek an arrest warrant on an assault charge. (So that is kind of an arrest, un-arrest situation). #2 – Officers arrested a 39-year-old male for criminal trespass on H.E.B. property, he had been given a trespass notice in the past. #3 – Ofc. J. Cortez was patrolling the Lytle Self Storage on FM 2790 and happened upon a burglar trying to break into a unit. The suspect was charged with criminal mischief, and he had a felony dope warrant out of Bexar Co. Good job Ofc J. Cortez! #4 – A traffic stop on N. Prairie resulted in the arrest of a 27-year-old male on a warrant out of Bexar Co. for domestic violence. 
There are still some companies and individuals that go “door to door”. Door-to-door soliciting in the city limits of Lytle requires a permit. The permits are obtained at the city hall. If you have someone come to your door you can always ask them if they have a permit and ask to see it. We see this commonly with those wanting to do yard work (back when it rained), tree trimming, etc. We issue a few for products and other services too, solar panels got popular for a while. Many times, these solicitors don’t have permits, often because they are less than on the “up and up”. Feel free to call our 24-hour dispatch at 830-769-3434, an Atascosa Sheriff’s Communication Officer will dispatch an officer to your location to check the status of the solicitor. My best advice is if they offer something that seems to be too good to be true, you need to put some thought into it. Some people and groups, such as religious organizations, don’t require permits since they aren’t selling a product. Feel free to email or call if you have any questions. I have questions about anyone willing to go “door to door” in this heat!
On Monday, August 7, 2023, Sgt. D. Lopez and Ofc. L. Diaz responded to a disturbance on Magnolia St. Our officers encountered a subject in a mental health crisis, he was armed with a handgun and had already discharged the firearm. I am very proud that our officers used their training and experience in this critical incident, and the situation was resolved without any injury. The outcome could have been much different. 
In other Lytle P.D. news …. We mourn the loss of our break room refrigerator. After 8 plus years it gave out, I have stored many unhealthy snacks in there through the years. Fortunately, I have a new one scheduled for delivery.
-Richey

Lytle P.D. stuff for the week ending July 30, 2023, Officers handled 48 calls for service and conducted 83 traffic stops. Of those 83 stops, 54 resulted in a citation and 29 were warnings.
I missed one property crime in last week’s report. A rental trailer at a residence on Main St. had the ramps stolen! They probably wanted the whole trailer but decided to just get what they could. I’m not sure I would want to run into whoever stole those ramps; they were on the heavy side. For the past week, we only had one property crime reported! A resident in the 14400 Blk. of Main St. reported that someone entered his vehicle and removed an American Tactical .45 Cal. Handgun (1911 style).
Arrests: Lytle PD Officers arrested 4 people last week: #1 – A male was arrested for public intoxication after he was found passed out behind the H.E.B. C-Store. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #2 – A traffic stop on FM 2790 N. resulted in the arrest of a female who had an active warrant out of Bell Co. for Tampering with Govt. Records. She was booked into the Medina Co. Jail. #3 – A disturbance in the parking lot of the Lytle Community Center resulted in the arrest of a female for possession of Marijuana and unlawfully carrying a firearm. She will also be charged with possession of a stolen firearm. A Sig 9 MM was recovered, it had been reported stolen to San Marcos P.D. She was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #4 – A traffic stop on the access road of IH-35 resulted in the arrest of a female for possession of a controlled substance and unlawfully carrying a weapon. She was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail.
We recovered one stolen handgun this week and had one handgun reported stolen. I guess that means we broke even.
The Lytle VFW is planning an event to commemorate the events that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. They will hold a Freedom Walk at John Lott Park on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. From what I understand, the route will start at the park and then take about a one-mile walk through some residential streets and then end back at the park. I think they have some other plans in store, but I don’t have the details. Rumor has it you might get a free hotdog out of this! We have always been a community that appreciates free hotdogs. On the police side, we will make sure we have plenty of officers to keep the walkers safe so don’t hesitate to bring out the whole family. Maybe we will get lucky and need a light jacket.
August is upon us so it might start getting hot. A fellow at church last week said he knows what it feels like to be under “house arrest” because the heat is so intense you can’t leave the house. Yep, I look outside and think I need to work on something and then I open the door and change my mind.
Our schools will be back in session next week, please take extra caution when motoring around the schools. I agree, traffic can be challenging with the construction and now school traffic. Try to be patient and go with the flow. If you can figure that out, then let me know the secret.

A quick overview of Lytle P.D.’s activity last week shows that officers handled 38 calls for service (that number is lower than average) and conducted 79 traffic stops. Of those stops, 54 resulted in a citation or citations and 39 were warnings.
In all, three property crimes were reported to us last week: #1 – The construction company working for TXDOT reported a piece of equipment damaged. The side mirrors were broken, and the hood was left open (probably trying to get to the battery). #2 – Dollar General reported a theft of unknown merchandise valued at between $100 and $200. #3 – H.E.B. reported a theft of $161 worth of merchandise. The suspect was identified and charges are pending. It just wouldn’t be a normal week if somebody didn’t steal something from a local store.
Officers made two arrests last week. #1 – Ofc. J. Cortez (assisted by Sgt. Hanson) conducted a traffic stop on Main St. for a vehicle with no lights. It was determined the driver was under the influence and was arrested for D.W.I.; he was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #2 – Officers A. Lopez and R. Garcia responded to a roadside disturbance on Wisdom Rd. It resulted in the arrest of a female for possession of a controlled substance (Meth) and possession of a drug test falsification device. An uncommon charge, but basically, she had some fake urine, for use in passing a drug test. I don’t know much about fake urine (or real urine for that matter), is it cheaper than the real thing?
Now it’s time for some important travel/road information. This time the roadway is FM 2790, the road you take to leave Lytle and head to Somerset. Over the next two weeks, there will be 5 days when the roadway is a single lane. While you will be able to travel in both directions, there will be a flagger, so you may be in for a little wait. This is only a small stretch of roadway. The work is necessary for Rosewood Estates, a big subdivision under construction, to build out their entrances according to TXDOT requirements. This construction will start once you get past Lytle State Bank and should be complete before you reach the North Prong of the Atascosa River. Trust me, a little disruption would be better now as opposed to something not being designed correctly and we all end up dealing with it for years.
Here is my public service announcement for the week: A small child was shopping with their mother at H.E.B. and found a folded-up dollar bill on the floor. The bill contained what appeared to be methamphetamine. The mother turned the property into us. This is something you may want to think about before you pick up paper money. This is nothing new, 24 years ago when I was in the restaurant business, I ran into the same thing.
All is well on the home front; I am adapting to telling people I have 5 kids. Canon is just over 4 weeks old, Benji will be 2 in August, Joy is 13, Luke is 15, and Grace is 18! Last week we all made it to church, and we took up a whole pew. I am waiting to see if our church hits us with some sort of surcharge or something.

Hello from Lytle! Last week, Lytle P.D. officers handled 66 calls for service and conducted 126 traffic stops. Those stops resulted in 94 drivers receiving citations and 32 receiving warnings.
Officers made four arrests last week: #1 & #2 – Officers responded to the H.E.B. Plus for a report of a shoplifter. It was another mother/daughter duo! The daughter was arrested for theft (approx. $130 worth of merchandise) and the mother was cited for criminal mischief for damaging some of the property. I have complained in the past that my dad was, and still is, a workaholic and that he seldom took us on vacation. I guess I should appreciate the fact that he and dear old Mom also never took us shoplifting. Arrest #3 – Officers were dispatched to the Star Food Mart (Chevron) for a report of a man who took a beverage without paying for it. Officers arrived, located the suspect, and determined he had a felony burglary of a habitation warrant out of Medina Co. He was booked into the Medina Co. Jail. So, his one free “stolen” drink led to free food, drinks, and lodging at Randy Brown’s hotel in Hondo. I like Randy, but I wouldn’t want to be an overnight guest at the place he runs. Arrest #4 – A verbal disturbance on Main St. resulted in the arrest of a female, that had a felony warrant out of Medina County for injury to a child/elderly/disabled w/bodily injury. She, too, was booked into the Medina Co. Jail. Back maybe in 1997 or 1998, there was a Schlotzsky’s in Hondo that was on Highway 90 and wasn’t there very long. I worked part-time for Lytle P.D. and looked forward to taking prisoners to the Medina Co. Jail, so I could stop by and grab a sandwich and a cup of broccoli cheese soup. Sorry, my stomach started wandering down memory lane.
Property crimes from last week, three were reported: #1 – A mini-storage unit on N. Somerset was burglarized. A ladder and some tools valued at $370 were reported stolen. #2 – That is the H.E.B. Plus mother/daughter theft I mentioned earlier. #3 – H.E.B. Plus reported a suspect walked out with about $120 worth of beer and other items.
The mayor provided me with some good info. to pass on. You will want to pay attention to this (unlike most of my written rambling). The FM 3175 lanes under I-35 will be closed effective 12 July for a few weeks. This is necessary for construction related to the ongoing TXDOT projects. Both frontage roads will return to two-way roads before this closure. Travelers on FM3175 will need to use the frontage roads to get around the construction. The plan is to have the lanes open by the start of school on the 9th of August. Imagine what a mess that would be if that intersection was closed and the school buses and parents coming in on FM 3175 had to re-route!
The city is still accepting applications for an Animal Control Officer and a Public Works employee. You might think “It’s too hot to work outside”, don’t worry about that. The weather around here gets pleasant for at least a month or so each year.

The latest news from Lytle P.D., some you can use, most of it…. maybe not. Your officers responded to 60 calls for service last week and conducted 44 traffic stops. Of those 44 stops, 24 resulted in a citation and 20 were either verbal or written warnings.
What arrests did we make last week? Well, we had 3 of them. #1 – A simple citation and release for possession of drug paraphernalia was the result of a traffic stop for failing to dim the headlights. #2 – Officers responded to a two-vehicle, non-injury accident on Main St. and a routine check revealed that one of the drivers had an active DWI warrant out of Nueces Co. He was having a bad day for sure; he was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #3 – Officers conducted a traffic stop for a vehicle going the wrong way on a one-way road. The passenger had a warrant for trespassing out of Bexar Co. She was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail.
Property crimes reported to us last week numbered 4.

1 – A complainant reported that he had a fellow drop off his lawn mower for repair and the guy came back and picked it up without his permission. #2 – A North Prairie St. resident reported that an air compressor valued at $200 was taken from a shed. #3 – An employee at Best Western Plus reported her vehicle was broken into. Some receipts and identifying information were taken. #4 – A Live Oak St. resident reported that a wood privacy fence was damaged. It appeared a vehicle struck it.

I may sound like a “broken record”, if people still know what that even means, but our 4th of July Fireworks Show is quickly approaching. If you love fireworks or just need some “me” time with food trucks (like me) this is the event for you. No big city crowds, free parking, and plenty of police officers to keep you safe. The festivities start at 5 PM and will conclude with the fireworks show once it gets dark. So, you have all day to BBQ or hit the swimming pool and you can close out the day with fireworks.
From the personal files of Chief Richey Priest…. My wife and I welcomed our fifth child last Thursday. Canon James Priest entered the world around 5:45 PM and both he and Kaycee are doing well. It’s official, I am 53 years old and have two kids in diapers! I ask for your prayers and maybe a GoFundMe account! I also just saw that come September 1st diapers and wipes will not be subject to sales tax! That’s good timing for me.
Seldom a day goes by that someone doesn’t say to me “Richey, we need more people like you in this world” so with five kids I think I am doing my part.

Time for some Lytle PD news that you can use, maybe? Last week your officers handled 47 calls for service and conducted 123 traffic stops. The result of those stops was 94 citations and 29 warnings.
Property Crimes: We had two property crimes reported last week. #1 – Lytle Loft Storage reported a burglary of a storage unit, the event occurred on May 20th. Attempts are still being made to contact the owner of the contents. #2 – H.E.B. Plus reported a theft of approx. $40 worth of snacks. In today’s world that could be a couple of candy bars and a soft drink.
Arrests: We only had one arrest last week. A 20-year-old male was taken in on a warrant for criminal trespass. He was given a trespass notice at H.E.B. and decided to return. Video placed him in the store and a warrant was obtained. He was located when officers responded to a report of squatters in an abandoned house.
The city’s surplus auction will be this Saturday (June 3rd) at the Lytle Police Station. Lots of stuff, including 5 retired city vehicles. Two of those are police SUVs. The event will run from 9 AM–Noon. It will be a silent auction with bid sheets, we did this a few years ago and it was very successful. I might even throw in a cool certificate of authenticity certifying that the police vehicle was used to “stop speeders, haul people to jail, and pick up fast food” But, maybe not in that order. If you are a taxpayer, you most likely already helped pay for some of these items, you just didn’t get to keep them at your house. Now this is your chance to bring it home!

Here is your Lytle P.D. news for the week ending Sunday, May 7th: Officers responded to 53 calls for service and conducted 58 traffic stops. The breakdown was: 43 resulted in citations and 15 were warnings.
The biggest event last week was a rare (thankfully I can say that) armed robbery. It went down on Monday, May 1st at approx. 2:30 AM. A male had been hanging around the small shopping strip on Main St. that includes the Lytle Super Stop (Exxon). He entered the Cricket Wireless store, hung out in there for a while, and looked at a few phones. He got his courage up, pulled out a pocketknife (which we believe he shoplifted from the resale shop next door), and demanded phones and money. He made off with 2 phones and $140 in cash. He didn’t even take all the money from the register, and he apologized to the clerk for what he was doing. So, our armed robber was at least polite and thoughtful. He fled in a white Nissan Altima that had been taken in a carjacking in San Antonio the previous day. I’m glad no one was injured; this is an active investigation.
Only one property crime was reported this week!
H.E.B. Plus reported that a female attempted to make off with a box of diapers valued at $46. The diapers were recovered. I’m hoping the lady was going to sell them and didn’t have a baby at home that needed diapers. My wife and I have one in diapers and one on the way so I know firsthand how expensive it can be.
Your officers made 5 arrests last week: #1 – Officers were dispatched to a disturbance on S. Prairie St. It was a mother-son disturbance and officers determined the son had a felony dope warrant out of Medina Co. He was arrested on the warrant, which ended the disturbance. He was booked into the Medina Co. Jail in Hondo. #2 – Officers responded to a three-vehicle collision at the intersection of Main St. and FM 2790 N. The driver of one of the vehicles was upset so he ran up and pushed the other driver down! I certainly hope that doesn’t become a trend. So, not only did we have a collision to investigate, but we had an assault as well. The roadway was cleared, and a citation for assault by contact was issued. #3 & #4 were both from traffic stops about 15 minutes apart. Both drivers were cited and released for possession of drug paraphernalia. #5 – Our officers were on the way to assist Atascosa Sheriff’s Deputies with a disturbance in Los Palomas (off FM 3175). They located the vehicle that fled the scene on the access road. They determined the driver had 3 active felony warrants (2 out of Bexar Co. and 1 out of Wilson Co.). He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail.
In other news…. sometime, most likely, early Sunday morning thieves struck a friend of mine that lives out on FM 2790 near Lucky Rd. Two large birds, a Military macaw, and an African Grey, were taken from their outside birdhouse. They have had the birds for 20 years, so they are devastated. The Atascosa Co. Sheriff’s Office is handling the investigation.
What’s coming up? Get ready for a city auction! The date will be Saturday, June 3rd. I think it will be held in the police station parking lot, I know there will be several vehicles and lots of other junk items too. Our surplus items might be your dream purchase. We will be sending out more information in the future. Hopefully, you took advantage of the community clean-up this past Saturday. That means you now have some room in the garage to fill up with auction items. It’s a never-ending cycle.

You have hit the jackpot if you are wanting to know what Lytle P.D. did last week. Though, I will admit it would be a small jackpot. It’s time for some numbers: Officers handled 70 service calls (that’s a busy week) and conducted 70 traffic stops (46 of those resulted in a citation and 24 were warnings).
Arrests: Officers had three arrests last week, all were cited and released. So, no long trips to the county jail. #1 & #2 – Two females (ages 24 & 25) were cited and released for class C theft (shoplifting). #3 – A traffic stop resulted in a cite and release of a 47-year-old male for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Property Crimes: Two property crimes were reported last week. #1 –H.E.B. Plus theft from above. The two females tried to make off with…. a 12 oz HEB Sweet Tea, Pringles chips (unknown flavor, but I prefer the salt & vinegar), Hot Fries, Blue Gatorade, 3 Donuts, and a 12 pack of Malibu Seltzers. If it had been me, I would have left off the seltzers and increased the donut count. #2 – One of those “porch pirates” (not to be confused with a Lytle Pirate) struck at a residence on Main St. The package that had been delivered was stolen; the contents included a $600 cell phone. Surprisingly, we don’t have more of these thefts reported to us.
We were busy assisting with “bailouts,” we had five that ended here in town. Fortunately, there were no injuries, and property damage was minimal. I’m still not sure why our community is such a good place for human smugglers to decide to stop running from the police and “bailout.” I’m looking into buying a lot of full-sized cardboard cuts of myself and placing them all along the interstate. When the smugglers see that it may encourage them to keep going, the downside is that it might have the same impact on everyone.
On Saturday, May 6th, from 9 AM – 12 PM, Keep Lytle Beautiful, in collaboration with the City of Lytle and Waste Management will be walking the streets picking up trash and accepting any bulky waste from City residents. There will be 2 drop-off locations for residents to bring their bulky waste. Residents should also bring a Lytle city utility bill. The first location will be the City Hall (14916 Main St.) and the second at Lytle High School (18975 FM 2790 N.). Contact city hall or visit the city website for more information (www.lytletx.org).
If you haven’t checked out the truck stop being built on IH-35 at FM 3175, construction is quickly moving along. I can already see myself hitting the pancakes at IHOP.

Here is your weekly report from Lytle P.D., straight from the desk of Chief Richey Priest (for whatever that is worth). Your officers responded to 51 calls for service last week and conducted 79 traffic stops. Of those 79 stops, 70 resulted in a citation and 9 were either verbal or written warnings.
Property Crimes: Only 1 reported, a complainant reported her Apple iPhone and watch were taken by a friend. It involved a dispute over an unpaid debt. The property was recovered.
Arrests: Officers made 3 arrests last week. #1 – While Ofc. L. Diaz was investigating a hit-run accident, he determined a female witness had a felony warrant. She was wanted out of Atascosa Co. on an Evading Arrest w/MV. #2 – Ofc. J. Cortez conducted a traffic stop for a reckless driver and arrested the male driver for D.W.I. #3 – Ofc. J. Cortez, assisted by Ofc. L. Diaz was dispatched to the Sonic Drive-In for a male asleep behind the wheel in the drive-thru. He was arrested for D.W.I.
Last Monday, Sgt. David Lopez and I headed out to Forth Worth for the Annual Texas Police Chief’s Association Conf. We had an event filled 2 and ½ days. There were some great speakers and topics covered. So, what is big on the minds of Texas Police Chiefs? Well, recruiting and retention of police officers is a big topic, not only in Texas but in the rest of the country as well. We also spent time with vendors and catching up on the latest and greatest advancements in law enforcement. Some local area chiefs we ran into up there included Chief Kohler from Castroville, Chief Soza from Hondo, Chief Delgado from Dilley (who was also a presenter), and Chief Ronald Sanchez and his crew from Pleasanton.
The breakfast buffet at the Omni was $28 a person, so Sgt. Lopez and I hit a Waffle House. It was his first time at a Waffle House, and that alone would make the trip memorable. Oh my, the look in David’s eyes when I ordered double hashbrowns (still only .50 extra) with my order.
I even got my dad to meet us and buy lunch one day, he drove over from Paris. I tried to borrow some money from him, but he said “Friend, I’m broke” as he drove off in his new pickup. I have been hearing that for as long as I can remember. Here is a little family trivia, I do not have a lot, so I must dig deep but here we go: My dad played on the locally “famous” 1964 Canton Eagle Football team (he was #72). They went undefeated and were not scored on in all 10 regular season games.
Sadly, I learned that retired Atascosa Co. Sheriff Tommy Williams passed away over the weekend. He was a legend and he helped me tremendously when I first became the chief back in late 1999.
I have been told about 200 kids attended the Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday. It was another success; the weather was great.
The next big city event will be the fireworks show on July 4th! I will have more details in the future. I enjoyed the addition of the food trucks at the event last year. While I don’t seek out food trucks, I find them irresistible when they are right in front of me.