Bay City Tribune

The Rio Colorado Chapter of the American Red Cross suffered a severe financial setback over the weekend when the storage facility on Pierce campus was burglarized.

The Bay City ISD Police Department sent officers to the site at 9:20 a.m. Monday, Feb. 16, in response to the break-in, said Bay City ISD Police Chief Leroy Cunningham.

The building at Pierce school serves as a storage facility to several different organizations and agencies, but only the Red Cross reported stolen items, said Cunningham.

A reported loss of about $15,814 worth of resources and equipment were stolen, Cunningham said.

"The windows on the south side of the building were broken out," he said.

"That is the suspected point of entry."

The Bay City ISD Police Department is conducting a joint investigation with the Bay City Police Department to solve this case, Cunningham said,

"No persons of interest have been identified in this case, yet," he added.

"The case remains under investigation."

Anyone with information regarding this burglary is encouraged to contact Campus Crime stoppers or Matagorda County Crime stoppers at 979-245-1856 or 1-800-299-2878.

Pat Curry, Rio Colorado Chapter ARC executive director, said many of the stolen items were in-kind donations that can't be replaced with insurance claims.

"The really sad part about all of this is that they stole the supplies that we use for mass care to our local community members in disaster situations - so really, whoever did this was stealing from themselves and their neighbors," Curry said.

Among the stolen items were more than 50 air mattresses, containers used to keep food hot and cold when feeding en masse - valued at $800 per container and medications were taken from nursing kits.

"Whoever went in there knew what was there and exactly how to find it," said Curry.

Employee theft

The owner of the local McDonald's fast food restaurant contacted police at 2:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13, to report repeated incidents of employee theft.

The owner told officers that an employee was suspected of stealing money from the restaurant each time she made a deposit, said Lt. Andrew Lewis, Bay City Police Department spokesman.

Money was discovered missing from several deposits that she made between Sunday, Feb. 1 and Wednesday, Feb. 11.

The case is currently under investigation by Det. Armando Galvan.

Burglary of a habitation and domestic disturbance

A burglar became the victim in a physical altercation when he broke into his ex-girlfriends house and her husband gave him a beating about 11:45 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15.

According to Lewis, officers responded to a home in the 2000 block of Grace in reference to a disturbance in progress only to find that who they thought was the victim was really the suspect.

"When the officers arrived, they found the (suspect) lying on the scene and bleeding from his head and face," said Lewis.

The complainant told officers she had seen her ex-boyfriend at the local bar earlier in the evening and they had a verbal altercation.

The suspect left the bar and later that evening when the complainant returned home she could hear someone walking inside her house.

When she went in to search her home, she noticed the suspect hiding in the closet.

"When she saw the suspect in the closet she went to her phone and called her husband to come home," said Lewis.

"When he got home, he proceeded to give the suspect a good (beating)."

Lewis said the suspect did not file assault charges but remains under investigation for burglary of a habitation.

The case is under investigation by Det. Armando Galvan.