"Man shoots at lovers in his garage"

This sounds weirder than it actually is. I think.

A man spent his birthday in Bexar County Jail after he was suspected of shooting a man he found involved in a sexual act in his garage over the weekend.

William Moore, who turned 72 on Sunday, is being held on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. A judge set bail at $50,000.

San Antonio police said Moore reportedly awoke around 2 a.m. Saturday to noises coming from his garage in the 6800 block of Blue Ash Drive. He opened the garage and discovered a woman engaged in oral sex with Todd Harrison, 38, according to a police department incident report.

Moore allows Harrison to visit a woman who lives in his garage until midnight, but police said Harrison was unwelcome when Moore found the couple romantically involved.

(from the Express-News)

When I first saw this headline and the lead paragraph, I thought that the people had broken into the man's garage in order to have sex, and I thought, What a strange place to get it on. Then I see that the man was letting out the garage to the woman, and she was having her boyfriend over. When the old man found out they were engaging in hanky-panky under his roof, he told the other guy to cut it out. When he caught them doing it again, that's when he got his shotgun, apparently just for intimidation. The actual shooting appears to be an accident as the younger man just suffered some birdshot to the hand.

OK, it's still weird, but not as weird as I thought it was going to be.

Starting at square one

So, if you were to assign a serial number to the Number 1 soldier in your aviation school, what number would you give him? If it was back in the mid-20th Century, it might be something like this:

1944
Harry S. McGlinchey, student at the San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center, was named "No. 1" solider [sic] of the area. His serial number: 11111111. His enlistment date: 11-1.

(from San Antonio Remembers)

Calling for a ride

In the mood for a little burglary, but you don't have a getaway car? Don't worry. Just call a cab!

A taxi cab driver unintentionally became the getaway car driver for a man who had just burglarized an east-side home.

Police say the burglar stole $2000 worth of electronics, including a 42-inch plasma screen television, from Uriah Caldera’s home on Cooper St. before calling a Yellow Cab to pick him up and drop him off a few blocks away.

...

Police were able to contact the cab driver who told them where the [sic] dropped the suspect off, but a search of the area found nothing.

(from KENS-5)

No word on how well the customer tipped, if at all.

Bonus strangeness: the name "Uriah". How often do you see that nowadays?

"40 inmates escape in Mexican border town"

This is a little too close to home for my comfort.

MEXICO CITY — Police were searching for two prison guards and 40 prisoners who disappeared after a pre-dawn jailbreak Thursday in the Mexican city of Matamoros across the border from Brownsville.

...

The [federal attorney general's] office said all the prisoners who escaped had been charged under federal law but were being held at the state institution. Five were serving sentences following convictions and 35 were on trial. The statement did not specify the offenses, but drug trafficking is the among the most common federal charges.

State leaders in Mexico have complained in the past that they do not have facilities secure enough to accommodate more serious, federally charged prisoners.

Last year guards stood by as more than 50 prisoners walked out of another jail in northern Mexico.

(from the Express-News)

Stay alert.

Drinking and driving don't mix

Even when it's just water, apparently.

An official in the Northside Independent School District says the bus driver was choking on a drink of water and lost control of the bus.

It crashed into a retaining wall and then a tree.

No students were on the bus at the time.

(from KENS-5)

The driver seems to be OK. The bus is crashed, though.

Phoning it in

I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I don't think this guy should be considered for public service again, volunteer or not.

Ever.

A volunteer firefighter was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly made multiple false calls for fires and traffic accidents in Southwest Bexar County, officials said.

...

[Quinton] Arnold, a member of the Jarret Volunteer Fire Department in Von Ormy, allegedly placed four unfounded calls for service earlier this month, an arrest warrant affidavit states. He was using a disconnected cellular phone to make the calls from the fire station and was even part of the emergency crews that responded to the scene, the affidavit states.

...

Arnold has a criminal history of making false alarm calls, according to the affidavit. While he was a volunteer firefighter at another Bexar County department, he confessed to making a bomb threat to a middle school from the fire station's phone, the affidavit states. [emphases added]

(from the Express-News)

I don't know. You think I'm being too harsh?

Changing the face of the Army

At Fort Sam Houston, the Army graduates a turbaned, bearded officer.

SAN ANTONIO -- Captain Tejdeep Sighn Rattan is a Sikh, a religion with its roots India [sic], and he's the first Sikh officer to complete U.S. Army basic training in more than two decades.

...

As a Sikh, Rattan is required to keep his hair uncut, including his beard and he must also wear a turban.

Both of those religious requirements were in violation of a ban on conspicuous religious articles of faith adopted back in 1981.

Last April, Rattan submitted a request to the Army asking that he be allowed to wear his turban and keep his beard while serving. In December, the Army granted his request.

(from KSAT-12)



Is this the beginning of the end of the high and tight?

On a more serious note, the KSAT piece suggests that there have been Sikh officers that have served in the Army before, and it says that the ban on "conspicuous religious articles of faith" has not always been in place. Does this mean that Sikhs in the past, pre-1981, were allowed to serve bearded and turbaned, or is there some confusion here? Can any former service members out there shed some light on this?

All cat burglars should think a little more

Sneaking into a secure place never quite works out like it does in the movies.

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man is in the hospital Sunday afternoon after falling through the ceiling of a north side business. Police tell News 4 WOAI the man was trying to break into Don’s Gun Shop on the 3700 block of Loop 410 NW.

...

"It appears our suspect went through an air conditioning duct and fell through. He was knocked unconscious," said Matt Porter, spokesman for San Antonio Police Department.

(from WOAI-TV)

Air vents are nothing like the clean, metal boxes with plenty of space to crawl in that are portrayed in the movies. They're usually dirty, to some extent, and many are made of just fiberglass. And I don't know of many ducts that are actually big enough for a person to fit inside.

So, what was this guy thinking?

"Two SAPD officers suspended after patrol car incidents"

Wow. What's going on with SAPD?

Two San Antonio police officers have been placed on suspension and facing some serious allegations.

Christopher Martinez, is accused of a long list of misconduct. Most recently, he is accused of having sex with a woman in the back of his patrol car while he was on duty.

Martinez is also accused of conducting personal errands, and ignoring some calls altogether while on duty last month.

He has been put on suspension.

A complaint was also filed against 39-year-old Craig Nash, a six-year veteran of the police force.

Nash has been accused of sexually assaulting a transgendered person while on duty.

He was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

(from KENS-5)

I know the media likes to take any juicy bit involving, well, anything and blow it up to seem larger and more critical than it is. And I know that the vast majority of our police officers are outstanding public servants. But still, this doesn't look good. How can the police department reasonably expect the citizens to cooperate with them when these bad apples are out there stinking up the barrel?

Fortunately it seems that Chief McManus is taking this situation seriously and is working to correct it.

Getting banned from San Antonio

Oh, and today? It's the 28th anniversary of Ozzy's act of pissing while pissed, thereby pissing off the City of San Antonio. (As remembered by San Antonio Remembers.)

Just thought you'd like to know.

Keeping it in the family

Can you say "bad influence"?

SAN ANTONIO -- A San Antonio woman was in jail on a charge of robbery on Tuesday and police said she used her 12-year-old son to pull it off.

Police said Chantay Washington, 28, had her son steal $600 from a neighbor's wallet while she held a handful of the victim's hair.

The boy then allegedly kept a $100 bill for himself and handed his mother the other $500.

(from KSAT-12)

That's a nice tip. At least 16 percent. Too bad the kid decided to just keep the tip instead of waiting for his customer to hand it to him.

What are they teaching kids these days?

Battle of the tools

When your only tool is a hammer, every criminal's head looks like a nail.

A Bexar County Sheriff's Office spokesperson told News 4 WOAI a neighbor spotted two young women in a pickup truck outside an elderly woman's home and called one of the woman's relatives. Knowing that the elderly woman was not at home and that no one else should be there, the relative quickly drove over to check it out. When he arrived, he saw a young woman going through items inside a Chevrolet Suburban owned by his relative and confronted her. The woman then ran inside the home, and the man followed her. Once inside, the man discovered a second woman who appeared to be searching the house for valuables.

The man, who is in his late 50's, got into a scuffle with both of the women, and one of the women hit him in the head with a crowbar. The man used a hammer to defend himself and hit one of the women in the head with it. The two women then grabbed his truck keys and took off in their pickup truck, leaving the man unable to follow them.

(from WOAI-TV)

The man was treated at the scene. No word on how the young ladies fared.

More animal hoarding

But, in this case, the woman realizes her problem.

"We have trash, feces and filth intermixed with this ladies belongings," said Matt Bennett with Wildlife Rescue.

Bennett, along with dozens of volunteers from the community, Animal Care Services, even veterinarians, spent the day Sunday cleaning up the woman's house and catching nearly 40 cats.

Bennett said, unlike most cases they come across where people are hoarding animals, this woman was thankful for the help.

"Typical scenario, some may call hoarders, they aren't really receptive to help. But this lady actually reached out to us and she understands she has a problem and wanted some help," said Bennett.

(from KSAT-12)

That's the first step, I understand.

Getting the measurements wrong

C'mon, WOAI-TV. You can do better than this. Remember, a good rule of thumb allows about 10 feet for each story on a building.

People living in a West Side community contacted News 4 WOAI about a giant hole in their neighborhood that has been 'under repair' for more than a month.

When I went to check it out, I found a hole about 30 feet wide and 20 feet deep on Rivas Street, just off Calaveras. I was told it is a San Antonio Water System project and that SAWS officials hired a contractor to fix a sewer pipe that burst.

Really? The hole is 20 feet deep?



What do you think? Could a two-story house fit inside that hole?

"Slip At Brackenridge Park Frightens Woman"

C'mon, KSAT. It's a busier news day than this.

SAN ANTONIO -- A walk in Brackenridge Park took a frightening turn for a local 20-year-old San Antonio woman, who said she slipped into the San Antonio river [sic] at a popular spot at the park and nearly drowned.

She said she wants her accident to be a lesson for everyone, including the city of San Antonio.

First person who should learn the lesson is:

[Alyssa] Suarez said she feared for her life after falling into the river while walking on the vehicular bridge, ...

It's built for vehicles, not humans. First clue that you should be careful.

"I pulled her right out here beyond the sticks," said [Brandon] Johnson, pointing to the area where he said his girlfriend fell in.

Both he and Suarez said they thought she was stepping on the street, but instead it was sticks and debris.

If the roadway is so flooded that you cannot tell what you are stepping on, then perhaps you should rethink your actions and refrain from stepping out there unless you have a really good reason to. Like saving the life of someone else who's fallen into the river.

Or step into it, if you like, and at least accept the consequences of your actions without rushing to call up the television news.

After gulping a mouthful of river water, Suarez said she was caught up in an undertow.

...

She said the river tasted like sewage water.

OK, I've never actually tasted sewage water that I can remember. I've smelled it, but I haven't tasted it. But I might say that I knew what it tasted like if I was playing up a situation for the cameras.

Originally Suarez said she [sic] there were no warning signs posted at the vehicular bridge but later admitted she spotted two signs on each end of the bridge when she returned to the bridge a few days later.

Pay attention!

Suarez said in the past she has seen children on the bridge and insisted the two signs are not enough. She also stressed the need for the city to make sure the bridge is clean from thick debris.

I stress the need for people to be aware of their surroundings and to be careful around low water crossings.


Fifteen minutes of fame, and all that.

Car crashes into grooming places

OK, so it's a truck, not a car. And there wasn't actually a fence or a house involved. But I think it's still hard to deny that this vehicle was exacting some kind of revenge on those trying to make us look good, and there's definitely no denying that this is strange.

Police said the driver, a man in his 30s, and his young son were heading South on Zarzamora Road when he lost control of the truck.

He first slammed into a barber shop, then hit a power pole, which came crashing down into the street, police said. He finally wrecked into a nail salon, where his truck came to a stop.

"(It) scared the devil out of the barber and his client," said property owner Joe Gonzalez, who arrived shortly after the accident. "Good thing he wasn't shaving him at the moment. He might have cut his neck off."

(from KSAT-12)

Or his head! That would have been weird!

Someone who should have thought a little more

It must be still be sweeps month, because here is KENS-5 telling us about the latest thing to be outraged about.

Smoking marijuana can get you fired, but some employees are finding new ways of getting high without it showing up on a drug test.

”Mojo” is the name for a synthetic herbal incense, and it is becoming a popular -- but pricey -- alternative to marijuana.

Mojo isn't even a drug. It can be found at area head shops, corner gas stations and even pharmacies. It comes in a small package, but it packs a punch. And that high has attracted hard core drug users like Casey Nunez.

Ah, Casey. Tell us about yourself.

Nunez admits he used to be an everyday marijuana user, but now he gets stoned on mojo. "It has a very similar feel to marijuana when you are under the influence of it," he said.

Faux pot lacks the chemical THC, and that attracts users like Nunez who smoke it for the buzz -- and to keep his habits hidden from his boss. "[M]y job requires drug testing," Nunez said. "That's why I don't smoke weed."

Casey, consider your habits hidden no more. Unless, of course, your boss never watches KENS-5. Or reads the KENS-5 website.





But the best part about this whole story? Dude actually made a conscious choice to wear his D.A.R.E. shirt on the TV interview where he admits the only reason he doesn't smoke pot is because he might get caught.

Strange.

Keeping track of your stuff

If you had a whole bunch of stuff, you'd want to keep it where you could get to it, preferably out of the weather. And maybe you'd put it in a storage facility if you didn't have room at home.





But, if you're homeless, I guess the area under 1-35 on the northern edge of downtown will do just as good.