For the month of April, the grand jury met for one day, and 20 San Angeloans were indicted on a variety of charges. Topping the list of indictments are the Stripes and Sunset Mall parking lot robberies, aggravated assault with deadly weapons and burglary.
Below are the more noteworthy cases.
San Angelo Man Indicted for Armed Robbery at Stripes
For readers following the news in San Angelo, citizens will remember the armed robbery that took place on January 27, 2016 at Stripes on 18th St. and North Bryant (stories here, here, and here). For his role in the robbery, Spencer Wallace Hooper, 19, was also indicted this month.
On that day, an employee at Stripes observed two Hispanic males, with bandanas covering their faces, enter the store. They demanded the female employee open the safe and give them the money while pointing a handgun at the victim.
“The two males left Stripes with money from the safe without consent,” read the complaint.
When San Angelo Police viewed the Stripes store video and audio surveillance, they confirmed the victim’s testimony, and observed one of the male subjects had a tattoo on the back of both hands. He was also wearing a rosary-type necklace. Additionally, one of the suspects, in the audio, told the other suspect, “Wally watch this bitch.”
Detective Bobby Elrod, with SAPD, also reviewed the video and audio and identified “Wally,” or Guadalupe "Wally" Olvera, 18, as one of the males. He was 17 at the time of the incident.
“Detective Bobby Elrod has personally dealt with "Wally" numerous times in the past, and has knowledge by physical appearance and [that he] has tattoos on the back of his hands,” noted the complaint. Detective Elrod also recognized Wally’s physical demeanor, gait and the rosary necklace, for he wears it frequently on his person.
Therefore, an arrest warrant for "Wally" was obtained and served on Jan. 27, 2016.
“Wally” was arrested while wearing a beanie, rosary and bandana that were similar to the ones on video surveillance during the crime. Also, further items confirmed his involvement.
During a recorded interview on Jan. 29, 2016, Wally stated that a juvenile accomplice was the other male subject inside the store committing the robbery. Wally confirmed that he and the juvenile are members of “Darkside,” a local street gang.
However, after police arrested the said juvenile, officials noticed his physical appearance was similar to the other male subject, but he was not a match. The man in the video was much heavier, and his hair longer. The juvenile advised he was not the person in the video, but rather a man by the name of Magdaleno Suniga, 23.
After another interview with Wally, Detective Castro, with SAPD, confirmed Suniga was the other suspect inside the store, and Hooper and another juvenile waited in the vehicle.
Wally stated that they took money from the store and went back to his residence. He and Suniga received an equal amount of money, while the juvenile and Hooper received less for being lookouts.
Thus, for his role, Hooper faces Aggravated Robbery, a First Degree Felony, and his bond is set at $75,000.
San Angelo Man Robs Woman Then Hits Her with Vehicle
In addition to the Stripes robbery on Bryant, many readers may remember the incident where a San Angelo man robbed a woman in the parking lot of Sunset Mall and hit her with a vehicle.
Well, Bentley Branson Green, 18, faces a Robbery charge in that incident, a Second Degree Felony.
According to the complaint, Officer Bruce Stewart, with SAPD, personally spoke with the victim and a witness who said Green, on Feb. 17, 2016, and Co-Defendant Desmond Dixon, entered the victim’s vehicle, without consent, located in a parking lot at 4001 Sunset Drive. Dixon took a Michael Kors purse and a bag of prescription medication without consent, and he fled on foot after the victim observed him robbing her vehicle. She also attempted to pursue him.
At that point, Dixon entered Green’s vehicle, and, as the two men fled, Green’s vehicle struck the victim, knocking her to the ground. This caused visible and physical injury to the victim’s left arm, a finger on her right hand and right knee. She was transported to Shannon Medical Center’s Emergency Room where she received treatment for her injuries. Both Green and Dixon fled the scene with the stolen property.
Green’s bond is set at $20,000.
Man Discharges Firearm at a San Angelo Residence
On June 17, 2015, Defendant Paul Henry Montez, 26, knowingly discharged a firearm at, or in the direction of, a habitation, said the indictment.
“Montez was then and there reckless as to whether the habitation was occupied,” stated the document.
Additionally, on March 11, 2014, in the 340th District Court, Montez was convicted of Obstruction or Retaliation, a Third Degree felony.
In this case, Montez faces the charge of Deadly Conduct Discharge of a Firearm, a Third Degree Felony. His bond is posted for $20,000.
San Angelo Man Stabs Another and Steals a Car
Another San Angelo man indicted this month is Gabriel Thurman Prince, 25, who faces Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle.
According to court documents, Prince, on Jan. 31, 2016, “intentionally, knowingly, and recklessly caused bodily injury” to another San Angelo man by stabbing him with a knife and hitting him with his hands.
The charge is considered a Second Degree Felony, and Prince’s bond is set at $35,000 for that charge.
In the Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle case, Prince, on Feb. 10, 2016, was operating a 2004 Ford Taurus without consent. The complaint noted that the vehicle had been taken for a test drive. Prince went into Big O Auto, located at 2610 N. Chadbourne St, and asked about a vehicle fitting that description.
Prince said he would be willing to put $500 down on the car, but he wanted to test drive it. The victim agreed, but required a copy of Prince’s driver’s license. She then told him he must have the car back by 5 p.m. on the same day. At approximately 5:45 p.m., the car had not been returned, so the victim contacted the police and reported the vehicle as stolen.
Later that day, police spoke with a witness who said he saw Prince operating a red Ford Taurus in and around Martin Luther King Park. He also said Prince attempted to assault him with the same vehicle, which was identified as the one taken from Big O Auto.
During an interview, Prince admitted that he stopped by Big O Auto to look at a car, and confirmed what he and the victim at Big O discussed. He said he drove the car from San Angelo to Abilene and then back to San Angelo on the same date. He stopped by a female friend’s house where he was apprehended by police.
Bond for this charge is set at $5,000.
In addition to these crimes, here are the other indictment charges for this month:
- Credit Card or Debit Card Abuse: 1
- Theft of Property < $2,500 with 2 or more previous convictions: 3
- Assault Family/Household Member with previous convictions: 1
- Burglary of Building: 4
- Possession of a Controlled Substance: 7
- Prohibited Substance/Item in Correctional Facility: 1
- Burglary of Habitation: 1
Correction: Spencer Wallace Hooper was previously identified as "Wally;" however, "Wally" is Guadalupe "Wally" Olvera. Hooper was a "lookout" in the robbery and is indicted for his role in the incident. The story has been updated.
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