Early Police Chief David Mercer reported that the Early Police Department responded to two incidences of family violence which involved shots being fired.
Officers received a call around 3:30am Saturday, October 1st regarding a family disturbance in the 100 block of Mitsy Lane with shots fired.
The caller, a 34-year-old female, had fled her home after being assaulted by her husband who then took a pistol and began firing shots in the home as the victim ran from the residence to a neighbor’s house, Mercer said.
Chief Mercer stated that the victim had been awakened by her husband who became angry and started hitting her. According to the report, the suspect then grabbed a pistol which was hanging on the bedpost and struck the victim in the head several times. The victim ran from the bedroom and the suspect began firing shots with the .357 Magnum revolver, the report states.
Several of the shots went out the front door of the home and struck a house across the street, according to the report. The victim escaped without being hit by gunfire.
When officers arrived, the suspect, 24-year-old Christopher Cantu, had gone back into the house and locked the door, according to Mercer. Officers surrounded the residence while other officers including the Brown County Sheriff’s Office tactical unit were called out. Several attempts were made to contact Cantu, but he did not answer his phone, the report states.
Several neighbors were notified and requested to consider evacuating; however all decided to stay in the far side of their homes and away from windows, according to police.
Officers then waited for a period of time under the possibility that he may have passed out due to his state of intoxication. After maintaining the perimeter of the house for several hours, officers were able to make contact with Cantu by phone and he agreed to come out of the house, Mercer said. Cantu was taken into custody and charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon Family Violence and Deadly Conduct.
In an unrelated incident, a report of a family disturbance in the 100 block of Salt Creek with shots being fired was received by EPD on Friday, September 30th. The caller, a 41-year-old male, stated that his wife had pulled a gun and shot at him as he was trying to leave the residence, the report states.
The victim was located just down the street from where the incident occurred by a Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy, while EPD officers Stephanie Haile and Amanda Williams went to the residence according to Mercer. The female actor, identified as 34-year-old Patricia King, was located and taken into custody without incident. King faces charges of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon Family Violence.
Other unrelated law enforcement arrests and reports released Monday, October 3, 2011:
Friday, September 30
*11:20am-Brownwood Police were called to the 2000 block of 13th Street regarding forgery. Three possible suspects were named by the complainant.
*2:53pm-Brownwood Police responded to a traffic accident in the parking lot of Brookshire’s. According to the report, the driver at fault was identified as 55-year-old Larry Dee Hounshell. After investigation, Hounshell was determined to be intoxicated and was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated and gave consent to a blood draw at Brownwood Regional Medical Center.
*3:17pm-Brownowod Police were dispatched to the 800 block of Booker regarding a civil standby. While en route, dispatch advised the officer that two males were physically fighting the report states. Investigation led to the arrest of 25-year-old Mario Guerra for Assault with Injury Family Violence.
*6:14pm-Brownwood Police were called to a domestic disturbance in the 2500 block of W. Main Blvd. During the investigation, the officer spoke with several people involved in the family altercation. Investigation determined that 47-year-old Deborah Holdiness had assaulted her daughter 17-year-old Heather Holdiness. It was also determined that Heather Holdiness had assaulted her stepfather. Both Deborah and Heather Holdiness were arrested on charges of Assault with Injury Family Violence.
*7:02pm-Brownowood Police were dispatched to the 3400 block of 2nd Street regarding theft. The complainant stated that a metal stake and a concrete block (valued at $50-75) had been stolen out of her yard between 5pm on September 29th and 6pm on the 30th. No suspect information was available at the time of the report.
*7:49pm-Brownwood Police were called to the Brownwood Regional Medical Center regarding harassment. According to the report, the complainant stated that her ex-boyfriend was harassing her via phone and text messages. While investigating the harassment, the complainant was made aware that all four times of her vehicles had been cut and were flat. Witnesses described a suspect and the suspect’s vehicle which was similar to the ex-boyfriend’s vehicle, the report states. The tires were recently purchased for $566.96 and the complainant did wish to pursue charges against the suspect, according to police.
*Brownwood Police arrested 26-year-old Taryn Danielle Apple for Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Grade 1 less than 1g.
*Brownwood Police arrested 59-year-old Larry David Hopkins for Driving While License Invalid.
*Brown County Sheriff’s Office arrested 37-year-old Tommy Williford for Criminal Trespass of a Habitation.
Saturday, October 1
*2:00am-Brownwood Police were dispatched to the 1700 block of Magnolia regarding an abandoned vehicle which was left in the middle of the roadway with its emergency flashers going. The responding officer noticed obvious damage to the front left wheel which looked as if the lower support unit for the steering had come loose, the report states. Skid marks indicated that the vehicle had travelled through the s-curve when the wheel came loose, causing the vehicle to cross the middle of the roadway into the oncoming lane of traffic, strike the curb on the opposite side of the road, then travel about 200 feet until coming to rest in the middle of the roadway, according to the officer’s report. The vehicle was locked and the driver was not located in the area or able to be located by dispatch. Due to the danger of the vehicle in the roadway, it was towed from the scene.
*8:42am- Brownwood Police were dispatched to the 4300 block of Brookdale regarding criminal mischief. A suspect has been identified the report states.
*11:44am-Brownwood Police were called to the 800 block of Vincent regarding theft. A black and yellow Poulan Pro push mower was reported stolen. No suspect information was available at the time of the report.
*2:00pm-Brownwood Police received a report of theft. The complainant reported a table saw, router bit and miscellaneous lumber were stolen. The complainant valued the items at approximately $360.
*2:27am-Brownwood Police were dispatched to a citizens’ dispute in the 700 block of Booker. While officers were en route, they were advised by dispatch that one suspect was wielding a machete, the report states. Investigation determined that 22-year-old Royce Daniel Gober, Jr. and 23-year-old Melvin Gil Batiste were the aggressors and that Batiste was the suspect with the machete. Five witnesses gave statements of the incident. Two of the witnesses were victims of an assault and wished to pursue charges against Batista and Gober, according to the report. Gober was arrested for Assault Causing Bodily Injury and Batista was arrested on charges of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
*2:49pm-Brownwood Police were called to the 2300 block of Avenue B regarding a domestic disturbance. Investigation led to the arrest of 46-year-old Bernard Reyna for Assault with Injury Family Violence and Possession of a Dangerous Drug.
*6:46pm-Brownwood Police were called to 401 W. Commerce, Wal-Mart, where a 17-year-old female had been observed concealing store merchandise in her purse. Two men’s t-shirts and a zip up hoodie were recovered from the suspect, the report states. The value of the items were determined to be $28.94. The suspect was issued a citation for Theft less than $50.
*7:08pm-Brownwood Police were called to 800 block of Booker Street regarding the burglary of a habitation. The complainant stated that a neighbor had stolen things from her home. The suspect was contacted and the items were returned, the report states. The complainant declined to pursue charges. According to the report, during the investigation it was determined that the suspect had removed a window air conditioning unit and had her 7-year-old granddaughter climb through the window and unlock the from door of the complainant’s residence for the suspect to make entry. Child Protective Services was contacted to make further investigation.
*7:33pm-Brownwood Police received a report of a lost wallet. The complainant stated that her ID and two debit cards were inside the wallet, which she lost at Wal-Mart around 6:30pm.
*Brown County Sheriff’s Office arrested 21-year-old Amber Marie Hall for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
*Early Police Department arrested 24-year-old Carlos Martinez for Driving While Intoxicated and Driving While License Invalid.
Sunday, October 2
*1:09am-Brownwood Police were called to the 1500 block of 7th Street regarding an assault. According to the report, the complainant stated that her husband had hit her on the left side of her face; however she did not wish to pursue charges. According to police, the State of Texas will be pursuing charges against the suspect who was not able to be located for an interview.
*1:32am-Brownwood Police were dispatched to the 2500 block of Belmeade regarding disorderly conduct. Officers arrived to find a female, later identified as 51-year-old Linda Raney of May, on the porch breaking out windows with a metal broomstick. Raney refused to calm down and continued to have loud, screaming outbursts using profanity, the report states. Raney had also thrown a piece of ceramic yard art through the residence, the report states. Raney was arrested for disorderly conduct
*3:25am-Brownwood Police were called to the 300 block of Bluffview regarding a burglary of a habitation. Further investigation led to the determination that the complainant had omitted a number of facts concerning the events of the evening and her relationship with the suspect, the report states. During the investigation, the suspect returned to the residence and indicated that he believed the complainant was exposing her children to methamphetamine use, according to the report. Information received from a neighboring tenant indicated that a marijuana smell can regularly be smelled coming from the complainant’s apartment, police report. The complainant declined to pursue charges against the suspect. With information provided during the investigation, Child Protective Services was contacted to initiate an investigation regarding possible drug use around the children.
*6:25am-Brownwood Police received a report of a computer breach in the 1200 block of Austin Avenue. The complainant stated that he had arrived home at 4am to find that someone had “hacked” his computer and was using his debit card. No suspect information was available at the time of the report.
*10:19am-Brownwoood Police were called to the 1600 block of 10th Street regarding criminal trespass. The complainant stated that he found an unidentified male sleeping on his living room couch, the report states. This call led to the arrest of 19-year-old Jovan Garcia for Criminal Trespass Habitation.
*6:02pm-Brownwood Police received the report of criminal mischief via phone. According to the report, the complainant identified a suspect and explained that the suspect had broken out some windows on her SUV while it was parked at the Budget Inn.
*7:51pm-Brownwood Police responded to the 1700 block of Good Shepherd regarding an assault. According to the report, the complainant advised her ex-boyfriend assaulted her while she was trying to move out of their apartment which was in the 2000 block of Slayden.
*8:05am-Brownwood Police were called to the area of Carnegie and Baker Street regarding a female subject who was passed out behind the wheel of her vehicle. The driver, identified as 28-year-old Tabatha Perkins was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated after standard field sobriety tests were performed. According to the report, Perkins submitted to a voluntary blood specimen at Brownwood Regional Medical Center.
All arrestees are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law
