Press Releases
On Saturday, June 28, 2014, at approximately 3:30 p.m., San Angelo Police Officer L. Cortinas was patrolling the area of Sector 2 near the 900 block of Spaulding Street when he observed a black Dodge Avenger traveling eastbound.
Aware that a 2010 black Dodge Avenger was recently listed on the Department's Stolen Vehicle list, Officer Cortinas caught up with the vehicle and ran a license plate check. Shortly after receiving confirmation that the vehicle was listed as stolen, the driver of the Avenger pulled into the North alley of the Fairview Mobile Home Park located at 311 N. Bell Street.
When the vehicle stopped, the driver exited, failed to comply with Officer Cortinas? commands and ran away. Police soon caught the suspect in the North alley of the 1500 block of Koberlin Street. He was identified as Tarren R. Watson (DOB 09-29-82) of San Angelo. Once in custody, Watson requested medical attention. San Angelo Fire Department Medics responded to the scene to assess Watson's condition and transported him by ambulance to Shannon Medical Center.
Watson was released from Shannon Medical Center after showing no signs of distress and was transported to the Tom Green County Jail where he was booked on charges of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Evading Arrest Detention and seven outstanding Arrest Warrants. Watson also received Class C Misdemeanor Citations for Driving While License Invalid and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Two passengers who stayed inside the vehicle after Watson ran were identified and released at the scene.
The owner of the Dodge Avenger, who initially reported the vehicle stolen on June 25, 2014, responded to the scene and took possession of the vehicle.
***SAPD***
Hashtag #BurstingAtTheWings was among one of today's ?favorite? San Angelo Police Department tweets used during the Twitter for Law Enforcement event, PolTwt. The term was used to describe the Department's temporary Twitter profile picture, depicting a rather fluffy ?Twitter Bird? in SAPD garb.
#PolTwt is the hashtag for the Global Police Tweet-a-thon, a twice a year event that lasts for 24 hours in each time zone. Law Enforcement agencies are encouraged to tweet about calls for service, specific topics to educate citizens, or officers tweeting throughout their shift. #PolTwt is the creation of LAwS Communications. The first PolTwt happened in March of 2013 and connected cops and citizens around the world.
Our opening tweet, ?1st order of business 4 @SanAngeloPolice #poltwt, prayers 2 officers around the globe. May you return home safely @ the end of your shift.?, let our law enforcement partners from around the world know we are thinking of their welfare, regardless of the difference in time zones or uniforms. Other tweets throughout the day included pictures of SAPD K9 Service Dogs warning about the dangers of leaving pets in vehicles, vehicle theft prevention tips, and calls for service.
The San Angelo Police have been using Twitter to engage citizens since 2009. One recent tweet shows how social media fosters community partnership to solve problems. On June 16, 2014, one local twitter fan tweeted, ?@SanAngeloPolice it would be helpful if this was installed at the intersection of Beauregard/Johnson. No one stops. pic.twitter.com/B1p8xs64wP.?
The department responded to the fan and let him know we would contact the City's Street and Bridge Office regarding their concern. After officials with the City Street and Bridge Office evaluated the area, they advised police that the area was in need of improvement and plan to upgrade the area to include a larger stop sign and painted stop lines. We have been keeping the fan up-to-date with the progress, which officials hope to complete by the end of next week. [Weather permitting? Hashtag #Pray4Rain]
***SAPD***
A 33-year-old San Angelo man is behind bars this morning after police find him asleep with drugs in his lap at a local park.
Just after 9:00 a.m. this morning, two San Angelo Sector 2 Patrol Officers met at Glenmore Park, 85 Paint Rock Road, to discuss today's patrol plan when they happened upon a lone vehicle, parked near the river.
Officers L. Cortinas and R. Espinoza approached the bronze-colored 2000 Mitsubishi Galant and noticed a man asleep in the driver's seat with a bag of suspected narcotics in his lap. The officers roused the man, later identified as Bryan Owen (12-10-80), and took him into custody.
During the field investigation, police located drug paraphernalia and additional baggies of suspected narcotics. Patrol Supervisor F. Dietz responded to the scene and conducted field-tests of the baggies? contents, which had a combined total weight of approximately 1.6 grams. The tests showed positive results for the presence of methamphetamine.
Owen was arrested and transported to the Tom Green County Jail and charged with Felony 3 Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 and Class C Misdemeanor Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
***SAPD***
A 44-year-old San Angelo man is facing multiple assault charges after he displayed a machete to threaten two people who came to the aid of a woman he assaulted in north San Angelo yesterday.
Just after noon on June 25, 2014, San Angelo Public Safety Communications received multiple calls about a female who was being assaulted by a male in the 700 block of Humble Road.
Upon arrival, police were flagged down by several witnesses who observed the assault and attempted to intervene.
During the investigation, police learned the suspect, identified as Richard Bastardo (08-12-69), was driving in the area with a 31-year-old female acquaintance when they began to argue. At some point during the argument, the female victim asked Bastardo to pull over and let her out. When the woman exited the vehicle, Bastardo followed and assaulted her. Witnesses who were passing by were alerted to the assault when they heard the woman screaming. When the witnesses confronted Bastardo, the woman broke free and ran away. As the witnesses were attempting to leave the area, Bastardo retrieved a machete from his vehicle and began threatening them. Bastardo reportedly put the machete back inside his vehicle once he learned police were on their way.
Bastardo was charged with Assault Causes Bodily Injury Family Violence and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and transported to the Tom Green County Jail without incident.
The machete was located inside Bastardo's vehicle.
This is an ongoing investigation and no additional information can be released at this time.
***SAPD***
As a parent, you will do anything to keep your child safe. If you discover there is a registered sex offender in your neighborhood, what should you tell your child? (Local Sex Offender Map: http://sanangelopolice.org/sexOffenders/map)
The most important conversations you can with your children are often about uncomfortable topics. One way you can help protect them from sex offenders or other predators is to arm them with knowledge and the confidence to say ?NO?.
Here are some tips from the Polly Klass Foundation about talking to your kids about sex offenders:
Think about what you will say before talking with your child.
- You don?t want to terrify your children.
- You want to give your kids factual information and skills to keep themselves safe.
You may want to show your child a photo of the offender.
- You don?t need to go into detail about the crime the sexual predator committed?that's really scary stuff.
You CAN give your kids this information and recommend specific action:
- This photo is of a person they might see around, and this person has tried to trick kids before.
If this person tries to talk to them, your child should:
- Immediately take 3 steps back
- Run away
- Tell you or another trusted adult
Follow-up with reminders of safety rules, and practice ?What If?? scenarios. Our free Child Safety Kit provides plenty of ideas for children in each age group. You might also want to teach them how to recognize and respond to Dangerous Adult Behaviors. (http://www.pollyklaas.org/safe/talk-to-strangers.html)
Ways to Keep Children Safe
Listen to your children if they come to you with scary information or rumors from school.
- Acknowledge your child's fears. Kids can easily translate vague adult warnings into stories about lunatics and monsters.
- Be prepared to reassure your children with factual safety information.
- Reinforce safety skills.
One of a child's greatest protections is the ability to say ?No? to adults when appropriate. This is very hard for children to do. Help them discover when it's a good idea to say ?No,? then help them practice saying it out loud.
- Reassure your kids that you won?t be mad if they make a mistake. It's part of the process of learning to be safe.
Listen to your child. Relationships based on love, respect and open communication will let your children bring questions and fears to you. It will also help you discuss scary subjects with your children in matter-of-fact ways.
For more information visit http://www.pollyklaas.org/safe/sexoffender3-1.html