Allegations of Gang Violence, Stabbing and Child Abuse in August Indictments

A Tom Green County grand jury last month handed down 36 felony indictments between the 119th, 51st, 340th and 391st District Courts. Five of those indicted in August stand charged with various acts of violence, including a drive-by shooting, stabbing, standoff, child abuse and assault on a woman at a gas station. To view the full indictment list, click here.

Gang Banger Drive By

A hail of bullets penetrated the kitchen window and truck parked at a residence in the 2100 block of Freeland on June 17, an apparent drive-by shooting motivated by the victim’s unwillingness to “jump in” on a fight that had occurred four of five days earlier.

According to a complaint filed with the court, the victim of the shooting was standing at the back door of his residence on June 17, when 26-year-old Paul Henry Montez pulled up in a white Nissan Armada and fired six 9mm rounds in his direction, hitting the house.

Police responded to the residence and learned that the motivation was that Montez had recently been involved in a physical fight and the victim didn’t jump in when Montez thought he ought to, the complaint states. Both the defendant and the victim are members of the West Texas Syndicate street gang.

While responding officers were still on the scene at Freeland, SAPD Sgt. Todd Dornhecker and other officers located the Armada in the 2100 block of Jomar St. and took Montez into custody.

Calli Buckles, Montez’s girlfriend, admitted to driving the vehicle while Montez fired, but stated she did not know he was going to shoot. Montez denied any involvement in the crime, but confronted with Buckles’ testimony, told officers he was “ready to go to jail,” the complaint states.

Montez has been indicted on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, enhanced to a first-degree felony, plus third-degree unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Holding Up the Police

The suspect in a recent Tom Green County standoff has been indicted on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a public servant.

According to a complaint filed with the case, sheriff’s deputies responded to the 10000 block of Runion Road on June 2 for the report of a domestic disturbance. Responding officers reported to detectives Sgt. Andrew Alwine and Joey Rios that 41-year-old William Ray McGary Jr. had barricaded himself inside the house with a gun that he had already displayed and fired.

Sgt. Alwine and deputy Rios were sent to the back, south side of the residence to complete a perimeter, stopping in a location that allowed a full view of the rear of the residence under the cover of darkness and vegetation, the complaint states.

After several minutes of observation, Alwine and Rios heard movement behind them and noticed the visage of a man to the south of their location via night vision goggles. The man was within 30 feet of the two officers and was armed with a long gun.

Both deputies turned on the lights mounted to their guns and ordered the man to drop his weapon, pointing rifles in his direction. However, McGary continued to point the rifle directly at both deputies, the complaint states. He was eventually detained and taken to the Tom Green County jail.

Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a public servant is a first-degree felony.

10 Stab Wounds

On June 20, John Patrick Chavez was leaving Little River Club with Joe Louis Lozano in an effort to prevent a physical altercation from breaking out between Lozano and another unknown individual.

While Chavez was driving, a complaint states, Lozano pulled out a pocketknife and started stabbing him on the right side of his chest and shoulder, as well as on his left arm and hand. Lozano was identified as Chavez's uncle the night of the incident. See "Stabbing Victim Staggers Back to Little River Club for Help."

Chavez told police that he slowed the vehicle down in the 5100 block of S. Bryant Blvd. and jumped out while it was still moving, but Lozano gave chase. Chavez made it back to the vehicle, the complaint states, and drove to the Little River Club, where EMS and SAPD units responded.

Chavez suffered a collapsed right lung and 10 stab wounds, the complaint states. He identified Lozano as his aggressor and Lozano was taken into custody at a nearby residence. He confessed to police that he had stabbed Chavez.

In August, Joe Luis Lozano, 52, was indicted on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His charge was enhanced to a habitual second-degree felony due to three prior DWI convictions and a prior arson conviction.

What one Man called “Discipline”

A 35-year-old man has been indicted on two counts of child abuse after allegedly over-disciplining his child.

According to a complaint written by Tom Green County Sheriff’s Investigator Martha Ibarra, dispatch received information relating to a child welfare concern on June 18, and sent Ibarra to the 10000 block of W. Indian Creek Road in Tom Green County.

Upon arrival, Ibarra reported, he met with a boy under the age of 14 who had sustained injuries to the lower left portion of his back as well as severe injuries to his left forearm and elbow.

The suspect, 35-year-old Jacob Andrew Ferro, told Ibarra that he had used a "1 x 4” piece of wood to discipline the boy that had been modified to function as a paddle. During the investigation, Ibarra learned that Ferro had struck the boy several times, including once on his buttocks, once on the left side of his lower back and on his left elbow and forearm.

“The victim stated Jacob (Ferro) also grabbed him by the neck and forced him downward, which caused him pain,” the complaint states.

The boy was transported from the scene to the Shannon ER, the complaint states, where tests conducted by Dr. Steven Lesser revealed that he had sustained three probable wedging compression fractures to bones in his neck.

Jacob Andrew Ferro was indicted on third-degree felony count of injury to a child with intentional bodily injury and one first-degree count of injury to a child with intentional serious bodily injury on Aug. 11.

Knives and Vehicles

Cody Dean-Miller McNeill is accused of ramming a woman’s car with his own, chasing her down and pulling a knife on her on June 9.

According to a complaint filed with the case, Officer Rebecca Stuart was flagged down by a couple of guys near Houston Harte and Bell St., who reported that they had just seen McNeill ram a woman’s car in the Stripes parking lot.

As McNeill fled north on Bell St. following the victim, the two witnesses followed, the complaint states. Both the suspect and the victim then pulled over about three quarters of a mile north of the Stripes store on Bell St. McNeill then exited his car, brandished a knife, witnesses told police. When McNeill spotted the two men in the vehicle behind them, he got back in his vehicle and left.

McNeill has been indicted on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony.