Latest news with #Kingsville
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Sickening family secrets that led to baby being found in Walmart bathroom
Disturbing news details have emerged in the case of a Texas man arrested after his teenage daughter gave birth in a Walmart bathroom. Kingsville Police responded to the store just before 10.30pm on July 14, after receiving a call that a maintenance worker discovered a newborn child in a bathroom trash can while taking out the garbage, KRIS 6 reported. In the aftermath, officers reviewed the store's security camera footage and discovered that a 17-year-old girl had entered the bathroom, where she remained for about 40 minutes, before leaving the store and getting into a car in the parking lot. Police were ultimately able to track down the teenager's car and performed a traffic stop, before taking the girl to the hospital for treatment. The teen's father, Jerry Lee Martinez, 45, was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a child after she told investigators he was the father of her baby. She told police that Martinez had begun 'touching her inappropriately' when she was 15 years old and forced her to have sex with him several times over the last two years, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KIII. The girl said Martinez was the father of the child and when he found out that she was pregnant, he hit her in the stomach on several occasions. She told investigators that he took her to Mexico earlier in the day to have an abortion before she delivered the stillborn in Walmart. Walmart employees tried to perform life saving measures on the infant and authorities rushed the child to the hospital right next door, where doctors pronounced her dead. Police were ultimately able to track down the teenager's car and performed a traffic stop, before taking the girl to the hospital for treatment. The teen girl is not in police custody and was taken to a 'secure location' while her father was arrested. Martinez is also facing charges of abandoning or endangering a child with criminal negligence, tampering with a witness and tampering with physical evidence 'The avenue taken last night wasn't the correct one, wasn't a safe one for the mother or the child,' Celinda Tatum, a Kingsville Police Department accident investigator told KRIS 6. 'We do advise that anytime an incident does occur at any moment, contact police or emergency personnel so that the baby and the mother can get seen medically.' Martinez is being held at the Kleberg County Jail on $600,000 bond, and prosecutors warned at his court appearance on Thursday that he could face additional charges.
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The Independent
6 days ago
- The Independent
Father of 17-year-old girl arrested after her newborn is found dead inside Walmart trash can
The father of a 17-year-old girl was arrested Monday after an infant was found in a restroom trash can at a Walmart. Jerry Lee Martinez, 45, was arrested and charged with abandoning/endangering a child with criminal negligence after his daughter allegedly left a newborn in the restroom at the Walmart in in Kingsville, Texas, shortly before 10:30 p.m. Employees found the newborn girl and called 911. They tried to give her CPR before emergency crews arrived, but the infant was pronounced dead at Christus Spohn Hospital–Kleberg. Surveillance footage, reviewed by police, showed the teenager entering the store and staying in the restroom for about 40 minutes. The baby was found 30 minutes after she left. A Kleberg County Sheriff's Deputy found the teen in her car in the store's parking lot later that night, and she was taken to hospital for medical treatment. Martinez was arrested at the scene and is being held at the Kleberg County Jail. The teenager remained hospitalized Tuesday, KRIS 6 News reported. Police plan to interview her upon her release.
CTV News
6 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Kingsville says no to municipal accommodation tax
A municipal accommodation tax (MAT) will not be coming to Kingsville, for now at least. Administration presented a report to council Monday night, recommending the town inform Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island (TWEPI) that they would not be moving forward with a MAT. Over the course of the spring, TWEPI visited each municipality pitching the idea of implementing a MAT on short-term rentals (STRs) and hotels. The revenue, brought in by visitors, would be split 50/50 between the municipality and TWEPI. Currently, Windsor charges a MAT at six per cent. In their report, Kingsville administration cited concerns over unknown factors, such as the full cost of administering the program, enforcement responsibilities, and lack of clarity surrounding how TWEPI will use the funds for the town. TWEPI suggested that the City of Windsor administer the program, however administration was concerned that there was no certainty on the fees that Windsor would charge for the service, and no confirmation about who would take enforcement action against STRs that do not remit the tax revenue. Resident Tony spoke at the meeting and said he rents out his cottage and was against the implementation of the MAT. 'Let's not add to the problem, more costs to the tourism industry, particularly in the form of a new MAT will only drive visitors to more affordable areas,' he said. Resident Les said he previously lived in Banff for 22 years and served on a tourism council. He said he saw firsthand how a MAT could be beneficial and asked council to reconsider at a later date. 'When tourism numbers are down, there's never been a more important time to consider finding other streams of revenue to try to help us promote Kingsville as a destination,' he said. Council heard that public consultations were held and sentiment was overwhelmingly opposed to implementing a MAT. Administration said it does not believe the revenue-share model proposed by TWEPI is the only option, or perhaps the best option, for Kingsville. Councillor Sheri Lowrie joined other councillors who weren't completely against the tax but wanted to explore it at a later time. 'There's just too many unknowns, too many unanswered questions, so again I just come back to at this time,' Lowrie said. 'I hope to see something come back in the future when we're possibly ready, but we have to let the short-term rentals roll out, let's let that happen, let's grow tourism, and then see if there's an appetite for this later.' LaSalle, Tecumseh , Essex , Amherstburg , Lakeshore and Leamington have not yet decided if they will implement a MAT as they await reports from their staff. TWEPI is asking to be informed of decisions by Aug. 31, 2025. - Written by Dustin Coffman/AM800 News.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Girl, 17, gives birth in Walmart bathroom before her father does the unthinkable
A Texas man has been arrested after his teenage daughter gave birth in a Walmart bathroom. Officers in Kingsville have said they were called to the store just before 10.30pm on Monday, after receiving a call that a maintenance worker discovered a newborn child in a bathroom trash can while taking out the garbage, KRIS 6 reports. Walmart employees tried to perform life saving measures on the infant and authorities rushed the child to the hospital right next door, where doctors pronounced her dead. In the aftermath, officers reviewed the store's security camera footage and discovered that a 17-year-old girl had entered the bathroom, where she remained for about 40 minutes, before leaving the store and getting into a car in the parking lot. It took another half hour for the maintenance worker to discover the newborn. Police were ultimately able to track down the teenager's car and performed a traffic stop, before taking the girl to the hospital for treatment. They now plan to question her about the abandonment after she is released. But in the meantime, authorities have arrested her father, 45-year-old Jerry Lee Martinez, who is now facing charges of abandoning or endangering a child with criminal negligence. He is also charged with tampering with a witness and tampering with physical evidence, according to PEOPLE. Martinez was arrested at the scene after the infant was discarded in the bathroom. His exact role in 'tampering with the evidence' remains unclear. has reached out to the Kingsville Police Department for more details. The father was being held at the Kleberg County Jail without bond, Law & Crime reports. 'The avenue taken last night wasn't the correct one, wasn't a safe one for the mother or the child,' Celinda Tatum, a Kingsville Police Department accident investigator told KRIS 6.
CTV News
15-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Kingsville council unanimously approves motion for vacant storefront fee report
Coun. Thomas Neufeld brought forward a motion at Kingsville Council Monday night asking administration prepare a report on the feasibility of implementing a vacant storefront fee. Neufeld wants a penalty or fee associated with prolonged vacancies within the downtown Kingsville commercial district. Council heard that Neufeld wanted the report brought back by Q4 of 2025, with an implementation date of Jan. 1, 2026. The motion was supported by council, however deputy mayor Kimberly DeYong took issue with the proposed timeline and the current workload administration already faces. 'To come in with something new that's not already on 2025 is concerning to me because I'm not sure it warrants it being at the top of the list, so I'm happy to support it, I think the date needs to come off, and I think we need to talk about it in August, and then put it in the proper slot of where we're willing to make the space for it,' DeYong said. Mayor Dennis Rogers agreed with DeYong in not handcuffing administration on the proposed timeline. 'I think you're seeing full support across the board on this item, I think it's something that we've talked about, it's been on our list, it's on our list for years right, and I'm to hear and see the BIA supporting this, but again I look to the councillor, there is a tremendous amount of work that's happening right now,' Rogers said. Coun. Tony Gaffan saw the motion as a positive step for downtown. 'Not only are these landlords empty, they don't seem to really want tenants, so if there's a way of controlling this, this would definitely benefit the downtown core,' Gaffan said. 'Also I've had two other businesses try to negotiate with these empty buildings, there's like zero negotiations, yet, you're losing money month, month, year, decade, so, we definitely need to do something,' he added. The motion passed unanimously with the timeline removed, and it will be discussed in August when council meets to map out their priorities for 2026. — Dustin Coffman/AM800 News
