Press Releases

Just before 10:30 a.m. today, San Angelo Police personnel were dispatched to the 3700 block of Bowie Street to assist the Fire Department on a medical call related to a bee attack near a business.

Upon arrival, police observed a man in the parking lot of Blackie's Convenience Store, 3702 Bowie Street, being attacked by a swarm of bees.   San Angelo Fire Department personnel arrived and sprayed a solution of water and soap on the man in an attempt to subdue the swarm while others carried the man to safety.  The victim, a 60-year-old San Angelo resident, was transported to Shannon Medical center for treatment and is said to be in stable condition.  The man had been mowing grass at the location before the attack occurred.

Police and fire department personnel attempted to locate the hive but were not successful.  Officer J. Russell, one of the first officers on scene, learned more bees were located inside a store restroom that was not open to the public.  Upon inspection, Officer Russell located hundreds of bees on the floor and inside the sink and toilet; however, most of the bees were dead.

Three women who attempted to help the man during the attack were also stung.  Two of those women, ages 36 and 57, were reportedly treated at the scene by medics.  The third woman, age 38, went to a nearby hospital by private vehicle.  Several firefighters who were stung during the rescue attempt also received treatment at the scene.

Crime Scene Investigations also responded to the scene to collect evidence and photograph the bees. 

The City's Office of Code Enforcement has been notified about the location.  A bee specialist has been called in to determine the species and assess the issue.  The store's owner reportedly shut the business down for the remainder of the afternoon for safety reasons. 

There is no other information at this time.

***SAPD***

ClearTalk Wireless has launched a free app for Android devices, called Text Ya Later. The app, available for download from the Android store, aims to break the dangerous habit of texting and driving by enabling drivers to turn on the app and have it auto respond while they are driving. Text Ya Later overcomes the natural urge to want to look away from the road to read an incoming text message. The app is designed to especially appeal to teen drivers, and unlike any app of its kind, Text Ya Later allows the user to create a customized message to automatically reply to text messages, reflecting the user's personality as if he or she were actually responding.  The app will soon be available for iPhones.

The app was debuted by ClearTalk Wireless in San Angelo in partnership with the San Angelo Police Department. The press conference shared ClearTalk's commitment to educating teens, and the community as a whole, on driver safety.

?Education is the first step to prevention,? said San Angelo Police Chief Tim Vasquez. ?Any tool that prevents distracted driving and reinforces safety, we support.?

?We have a commitment not only to the customers we serve but to our community,? said ClearTalk Wireless Chief Operating Officer David L. Miller. ?Mobile devices play a huge role in distracted driving, especially among teens. We want to be a part of offering a solution.?

According to the United States Department of Transportation, individuals who drive while sending or reading text messages are 23 percent more likely to be involved in a car crash than other drivers.

• A crash typically happens within an average of three seconds after a driver is distracted.
• Cell phones are involved in 1.6 million auto crashes each year that cause a half million injuries and take 6,000 lives.

Link to press conference: http://youtu.be/29Mxz83nOR4

(The San Angelo Police Department does not endorse ClearTalk Wireless or any other cellular carrier)  

Hit & Run Investigator Steven Quade using the Text Ya Later App

Left to right: ClearTalk Representative Mario Munoz and Chief Tim Vasquez

Left to right: Hit & Run Investigator Steven Quade, Mario Munoz, Traffic Supervisor Sgt. Korby Kennedy

This afternoon, the San Angelo Police Department was contacted by a citizen who asked us to verify an ?Official Emergency Notification? alleged to have been issued by our agency.  The bunk message warns citizens of an imminent threat to SAISD campuses on September 11, encouraging parents to keep their children home from school that day.  The notification also claimed that the SAPD arrested four illegal immigrants outside an SAISD campus this morning, and the men were allegedly filming students and teachers.

This emergency notification is false and not issued by the San Angelo Police Department.  In the event we learn about a substantiated threat to the public safety of our community, we will partner with local and Federal Law Enforcement as well as our area schools to notify the public through; Nixle- the official San Angelo Police Department's emergency notification system, local news media outlets, and the San Angelo Police Department's official Facebook and Twitter accounts.  

Through an investigation, we have learned this rumor began circulating based in part by an online article posted on beforeitsnews.com's top 50 articles.  The article states that the information was found to be a hoax and the originating news outlet printed a retraction.  Much of the message that was circulating locally was taken verbatim from the online hoax message, substituting our police department and school district.  The fake notification has been circulating locally through text message and social media.  

Although this particular incident was found to be rumor, San Angelo Police officials want to remind citizens to remain vigilant in these times.  Homeland Security starts at home, with all of us.  If you see suspicious behavior, report it law enforcement. 

To subscribe to official San Angelo Police Department emergency notifications, visit www.nixle.com.

***SAPD***

Jody Lee Blackwood (DOB 04-27-88) of San Angelo was arrested last night on multiple charges after he fled from police during a pedestrian stop near a Santa Rita neighborhood. 

Just after 10:00 p.m., Officer C. Jackson was patrolling the Santa Rita area when she observed a subject walking with the flow of traffic near the 1500 block of S. Harrison Street.   

Officer Jackson initiated a traffic stop on the subject and during the detention, initiated a search.  During the search, Officer Jackson located suspected methamphetamine concealed inside a cigarette package.  While Officer Jackson was inspecting the substance, the subject ran away.

Officer Jackson pursued the man, later identified as Blackwood, advising responding officers of Blackwood's direction of travel.  Police quickly established a perimeter of the surrounding area, which changed several times during the pursuit due to Blackwood jumping the fences of several neighboring yards. 

Police briefly lost sight of Blackwood but were notified of his direction of travel by a citizen who observed Blackwood running through their backyard.  Police located Blackwood a short time later, running in the 2100 block of W. Avenue J. where he was seen jumping several more fences before climbing to the rooftop of a house in the 2300 block of W. Avenue J. 

Blackwood was instructed to come down from the roof and he surrendered himself to police without further incident.  Police transported Blackwood to the Tom Green County Jail where he complained of medical duress.  Police then transported Blackwood to Shannon Medical Center for evaluation.  Once Blackwood was released from medical care, he was transported back to the Tom Green County Jail. 

During the incident, a citizen called dispatch to report a discarded semi-automatic pistol that was located in the front yard of a residence in the 1500 block of S. Harrison, the same location Officer Jackson initially encountered Blackwood.  Subsequent to the investigation, police learned the gun belonged to Blackwood.

Police tested the crystal-like substance that was located inside the cigarette package.  The substance field-tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed approximately 0.4 grams with packaging.   

Blackwood was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1, Evading Arrest Detention, Unlawful Carrying Weapon, Criminal Trespass, and Pedestrian Walking with Traffic.  

The San Angelo Police Department would like to thank the citizens who aided police during the search and called to report the discarded gun. 

***SAPD***

The San Angelo Police Officers Association, the San Angelo Coalition of Police and the San Angelo Convention and Visitors Bureau along with the Texas Police Athletic Federation and the San Angelo Police Department are proud to announce the selection of San Angelo to be the host city for the 42nd Annual Texas Police Games to be held in June2016.

The three entities have been working together since February of this year to prepare a bid to entice the Texas Police Games to San Angelo in 2016. Through partnerships with the City of San Angelo Recreation Department, San Angelo Independent School District and San Angelo Soccer Association, San Angelo was successfully selected as the host city.

The Texas Police Games are well organized competitive events that enable commissioned Police Officers the opportunity to compete with fellow Police Officers from around the State of Texas. The games include such events as Archery, Basketball, Biathlon, Cycling, Golf, Karate, Power Lifting, Firearms and many others. The games are held once a year in various cities in Texas.

The games are expected to bring more than 1,000 Police Officers and their families to San Angelo from June 12th to June17th, 2016. The events will be held at such venues as the San Angelo Stadium Field House, The Texas Bank SportsComplex, The McNease Convention Center among others. The public is invited to visit these venues and watch the games.

The concept of the Texas Police Athletic Federation, better known as the TPAF, was conceived in 1974 by officers Steve G. Baggs (Texas Department of Public Safety) O.L. Cullum (Ft. Worth Police Department) and Tim R. Vought (Dallas Police Department). These officers conducted the first Texas Police Recruit Championships in Dallas in April of 1975. The event was repeated in Austin in January of 1976 and in Ft. Worth in December 1976. The last time San Angelo hosted the Texas Police Games was in the 1980's.

The TPAF was chartered and received its original funding through contributions made by the Dallas Police Association and the Texas Department of Public Safety officers Association. The TPAF was established to foster physical fitness and comradeship among peace officers in the State of Texas and other states by the organization and promotion of athletic events and competitions in which peace officers can compete.

Many of the events are open to full time professional firefighters and active and retired military members. For more information contact Officer Rick Tinsley at rick.tinsley@sanangelopolice.org or 325-481-2517.