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Thursday, October 19, 2000

South Texas Notes

   Herrera held on $100,000 in bonds in stabbing case
   Israel Herrera is being held in Nueces County Jail on bonds totaling $100,000 in connection with the stabbing death of Rachel Villarreal, 25, on Tuesday.
   Herrera, 34, has also been accused of assaulting a police detective as he was being questioned.
   At about 2 p.m. Herrera called 911 from a pay phone outside the Teller Apartments in the 4500 block of Surfside Boulevard. When police arrived they found that Villarreal, Herrera's girlfriend, had been stabbed multiple times in the right side and back. She died at the scene, police said.
   Cmdr. U.B. Alvarado of the Corpus Christi Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division said officers are not sure why Villarreal was stabbed, but have said the couple had been arguing.
   Herrera is accused of attacking Detective R.L. Garza at the police station during questioning.
   Garza suffered minor bumps and scrapes and returned to work on Wednesday, Alvarado said.
   A $90,000 bond was set on a murder charge and $10,000 on assault of a peace officer, according to police.

   Morning airplane crash kills Jack LaClair, 75, of Sinton
   A Sinton man was killed Wednesday morning after his plane crashed near Lubbock, Channel 6 News reported.
   Jack LaClair, 75, of Sinton died in the late-morning accident south of Littlefield, The Associated Press reported.
   The plane apparently clipped part of a power line structure, crashed and burned, authorities said. The plane ended up in a field next to a highway. LaClair worked for Burkett Flying Service in Sinton, Channel 6 reported.
   Littlefield is about 35 miles northwest of Lubbock.

   Registered sex offender arrested in Port Lavaca
   A registered sex offender who has been accused of molesting two girls at a Wal-Mart in Calallen in April has been arrested in Port Lavaca, Channel 6 News reported.
   Warrants accuse Harold Duane Connally, 42, of Corpus Christi, with two counts of indecency with a child, police have said. The charges carry a $50,000 bond on each count.
   Calhoun County Sheriff's Department officials said Connally also is accused of fondling several young girls in Port Lavaca, Channel 6 reported.
   He is being jailed in Victoria without bond, Channel 6 reported.

   Fire officials rule out arson in blaze that destroyed bar
   The cause of a fire this month at the Dragon Lounge still has firefighters stumped, Channel 6 News reported.
   Arson has been ruled out and investigators know the fire started in the attic of the building, but they still are looking for more clues to the cause, Channel 6 reported.

   Judge remains hospitalized with stomach problems
   Carl Lewis, judge of Nueces County Court-at-Law No. 5, remained hospitalized Wednesday with stomach problems, but he is expected to be back at work by next week, friends and court officials said.
   Lewis checked into Christus Spohn Hospital Shoreline Monday, said District Judge Robert Blackmon, who has substituted for Lewis in court this week.
   Lewis went in for tests because he was having stomach problems, said attorney David Bright, who plays with Lewis in a band - Carl Lewis and the Deadbeats.

   PAC to hold public meeting today at Hamlin school
   Representatives from Forward Corpus Christi, the group that is supporting six tax and bond proposals, will answer questions from the community today.
   Forward Corpus Christi will make a presentation during the Hamlin Community Advisory Council meeting from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The meeting will be at the Hamlin Middle School cafeteria, 3900 Hamlin, Corpus Christi.
   On Nov. 7, voters will decide on six proposals. Three are bonds for street improvements, public health and safety projects and parks and recreation. Another three are sales tax increases for seawall repairs, an arena and economic development.
   The Hamlin Area Community Advisory Council, a non-partisan group, is a member of the Crime Control & Prevention District Citizen Advisory Councils. The Community Advisory Council assists the Corpus Christi Police Department in identifying crime and addressing quality of life concerns for the area.
   For information about the meeting, call the police representative for the Hamlin Community Advisory Council, Sgt. Henry Mangum, at 886-2776.

   Bargas' attorney requests 2nd delay in murder trial
   Attorneys for a Corpus Christi lawyer accused of stabbing a Portland elementary teacher earlier this year have filed another request to delay his trial on attempted murder charges.
   Dario Bargas Jr.'s trial is scheduled to begin Monday but his attorney, John Gilmore, is busy with the trial of Francisco "Frank" Salazar and won't be able to begin the Bargas trial, Gilmore's office said.
   Gilmore's involvement in another trial last month prevented the Bargas trial from starting on Sept. 25.
   Bargas is accused of attacking ex-girlfriend Carol Ann Kusenberger in her home on March 22.

   30 pounds of cocaine found in truck during safety stop
   Department of Public Safety troopers found 30 pounds of cocaine in the dashboard of a Ford pickup Wednesday during a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 77 north of Riviera.
   Two men driving northbound were arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and taken to Kleberg County Jail. No bond has been set.
   Troopers stopped the men because the passenger was not wearing a seat belt and a drug-sniffing dog alerted them to the dashboard area, DPS officials said.

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