Drugs and Family Violence Filled This Weekend’s Crime Report

This weekend was a busy one for the San Angelo arresting agencies, and the Tom Green County Jail witnessed 44 bookings. The top weekend crimes award goes to drugs and domestic violence.

In the drug category, five people were booked for Possession of a Controlled Substance; six people were arrested for possession of marijuana; five people were in possession of drug paraphernalia; and two people were booked for possession of dangerous drugs.

As for the domestic violence category, Sgt. Cade Solsbery said SAPD had a busy weekend dealing with family disputes.

In one incident, the father of Steven Michael Brown, 29, of San Angelo told police his son and girlfriend were arguing and fighting in a locked room, Sgt. Solsbery stated.

“When officers got there, they tried to make contact with them, and they wouldn’t answer the door,” Solsbery said.

At first, there were no sounds coming from the room that would warrant police to kick down the door, Solsbery noted. However, they then hear loud banging and ended up kicking it down after all because they thought the woman inside was being assaulted.

Instead, officers found both Brown and his girlfriend trying to escape through the window. Solsbery said the woman gave police a vague story about what took place, but they did learn Brown refused to let the woman leave the room so he was charged with Unlawful Restraint. He also kicked the woman, which added another charge of Assault Causes Bodily Injury Family Violence. Brown has a history of family violence and aggravated assault, including with a deadly weapon and firearm.

In another incident at a local apartment complex, police were dispatched to a domestic dispute between Jacob Lee Galvan, 22, of San Angelo and his girlfriend, who have a child together. Solsbery said when the couple got to their apartment after going out to dinner, Galvan pushed her to the ground and dragged her a “little bit.”

“She said it didn’t hurt,” Solsbery stated, nor did she sustain injuries. The victim told officers the fight started because Galvan broke her phone. The fight started during dinner and things got worse from there. Galvan was charged with Criminal Mischief and a Class C Assault, which is a misdemeanor.

Couples weren’t the only ones fighting this weekend. In another incident on late Friday night/early Saturday morning, Solsbery said SAPD officers responded to a complaint in the 1800 block of La Cruz St. When officers arrived, they found a 6-year-child in the yard crying.

“He walked up to officers crying and said, ‘They’re fighting and are both bleeding,’” Solsbery stated.

When officers went up to the house, they could hear the fighting and yelling. There were two females, sisters, fighting. The victim said Leslie Marie Espinoza, 25, of San Angelo showed up at the house. The victim told her to leave, but Espinoza refused to do so. During the scuffle, Espinoza attempted to make her way in but the victim pushed her back. Espinoza picked up a pry bar and attempted to hit her sister with it. She didn’t succeed, and in the process of fighting over the bar, the victim got thrown up against a wall, which caused her “pain.”

Espinoza also sustained minor injuries to her face because she fell against a book shelf during the scuffle, Solsbery said.

Because Espinoza did not leave when asked, and because she incited the fight, she was charged with Criminal Trespass of a Habitat and Assault Causes Bodily Injury Family Violence.

The final violence occurred between Rogelio Martinez, 24, and his girlfriend in the 100 block of Clayton. The girlfriend had an Emergency Protection Order against Martinez issued in October, and when SAPD were dispatched to the residence for a domestic disturbance, they learned Martinez was in violation of the EPO, so he was arrested.

Other crimes committed over the weekend included the following:

• Criminal Trespass: 3
• Unlawful Possession of a firearm: 1
• Fail to Identify Fugitive from Justice: 1
• DWI: 4
• Driving with License Invoked/Suspended: 3
• Criminal Mischief: 1
• Reckless Driving: 1
• No Proof of Financial Responsibility: 1
• Evading Arrest: 1
• Warrants (Some suspects had both complaints and warrants): 25

Overall, there were 16 inmates released over the weekend.