Latest news with #NuecesCounty
Yahoo
2 days ago
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Corpus Christi police rule out foul play after finding body near Oso Creek
(This story was updated to add new information.) Corpus Christi police say there was no foul play involved in the death of a man whose body they found near Oso Creek on July 22. Officers from the Corpus Christi Police Department arrived in the area of Ranch View and Thor drives at 6:48 p.m. in reference to a man down call, according to a news release published by the department. The resident who called 911 to report the body stayed at the location and walked the officers to a trail near Oso Creek, according to officer Madeline Vaughn and senior officer Antonio Contreras. They found the body of the deceased man in the brush off the side of the trail. The Nueces County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as Mikael Garcia, 42. Vaughn said police don't know if any items were found lying around the man's body. The Nueces County Medical Examiner's Office is determining the man's identity and what led to his death. MORE LOCAL NEWS More: Corpus Christi police officer fatally shoots man while responding to assault call More: Child on skateboard dies after being struck by vehicle, Corpus Christi police say This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi police find body near Oso Creek July 22 Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
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Nueces County examines fraud risk, irregularities from former county auditor's office
An audit of Nueces County's auditor has revealed concerning findings of poor documentation and noncompliance with policies and procedures. The Nueces County Commissioners Court heard a preliminary report on forensic audits of the county auditor's office and a health insurance fund on July 23. One finding was that commissioners weren't informed of millions of dollars in transfers and loans to the county's health insurance fund. The audits examine five years from fiscal years 2020 through 2024. The current Nueces County auditor, Grayson Meyer, was not in the position at the time. In January, the Commissioners Court chose accounting firm Carr, Riggs & Ingram to conduct a forensic audit of the county's health insurance fund and the county auditor's office. The final reports from the audit will be presented at the next Commissioners Court meeting, including detailed findings and recommendations. CRI partner Ben Kincaid presented the preliminary findings July 23. Kincaid shared a high-level overview of the main findings, but the final reports will include more findings. The county auditor's office is responsible for preparing accounting records for all county funds, auditing the records and accounts of various county departments, verifying the legality of county disbursements, forecasting financial data for budget formulation purposes and serving as the county's budget officer. Commissioner Brent Chesney said that the commission had concerns about the previous auditor, which is why the county pursued a forensic audit. Forensic audits are used to identify fraud or irregularities. The forensic audit cost the county $315,000. Meyer was appointed county auditor in May. He previously served as a business manager for development services for the city of Corpus Christi and as budget manager for the Nueces County auditor's office. For the county auditor's office, the outside forensic auditors analyzed internal financial statements, county budgets, financial records, year-end financial processes, payroll expenditures, invoices, contracts, procurements, purchase orders, and purchasing card and fuel card activities. They were looking for irregularities and noncompliance. There were errors in budgets, Kincaid said, and commissioners were concerned about a lack of documentation. A software transition also created significant hurdles for the county. The outside auditors found that operations were siloed within the county, the county had an elevated fraud risk, there was insufficient planning for the software transition, the county had a lack of standard procedures and reviews of existing policies for compliance, bank reconciliations weren't performed on a timely basis and the county lacked oversight for procurement cards. 'Overall, we determined that the auditor's office was operating as a silo within the county, and that affected its operations and its ability to serve as an auditor for the county as a whole,' Kincaid said. This siloing is a problem in other county departments as well, Kincaid said. 'We have to have buy-in from everybody,' Nueces County Judge Connie Scott said. 'We want to move forward with new policies that take care of this and correct the problems.' Other findings include minimal oversight over fuel card purchases, insufficient details for purchase orders, insufficient documentation for gift card purchases, lack of procurement training and noncompliance with county policies and procedures. The county uses gift cards for social services and staff recognition. The county also doesn't have a fraud hotline for people to report fraud or noncompliance. The reviewers also recommend the county implement fraud awareness training. Fraud is often caught by employees, Kincaid said. The county hasn't been using internal audit functions sufficiently, the audit showed. For the health insurance fund, the auditors analyzed financial records, identified the sources and uses of funds transferred to offset losses, analyzed a change in the pay schedule for employee and county contributions, analyzed the procurement of agreements with health insurance fund contractors and determined whether the county's internal controls were overridden. 'Over the past several years there have been deficits within the health insurance fund that created concerns,' Kincaid said. 'There were also some concerns related to loans that were being provided from the general fund to the health insurance fund as well as various transfers amongst the funds.' But during this time, the Commissioners Court wasn't given the full picture of the health insurance fund's financial performance. If only employer and employee contributions to the fund are considered, the fund lost more than $10 million between fiscal year 2019-20 and fiscal year 2023-24. To make up for the losses, the county contributed additional monies to cover the deficits. These transfers appear as revenues. 'It obscures to some degree the true reality of the fund performance,' Kincaid said. Kincaid said that $3.75 million in loans and transfers to the account were never brought before the Commissioners Court. 'That's beyond disturbing,' Chesney said, saying that someone will have to be held accountable. Chesney said that the county should budget for forensic audits every few years. Commissioner John Marez called the findings 'staggering.' Commissioner Mike Pusley said that he's long had concerns with purchasing card and fuel card transactions and gift cards. Pusley, a former Corpus Christi City Council member, said that the city's fraud hotline has helped bring problems to light. The city also has an audit committee, Pusley said. 'Maybe those are some things we need to look at,' Pusley said. Scott said that the county has policies in place that county employees were not following. 'Let's make sure we don't create more if there's something (already in place) that we need to enforce,' Scott said. Here's the next nonstop flight out of Corpus Christi International Airport More industrial zoning is ahead for a historically Black neighborhood in Corpus Christi Recall stalled? Next step in effort to remove Kingsville commissioners might be court Corpus Christi City Council approves 2026 budget for crime control, prevention This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Nueces County hears concerning findings from audit of auditor's office Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
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Former Corpus Christi mayor Dan McQueen announces bid for congressional seat
Former Corpus Christi mayor Dan McQueen plans to run for U.S. House of Representatives Congressional District 27, which includes Nueces and San Patricio counties, according to a news release. Issued July 12, the email states that McQueen will run as an independent in the race. The seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Michael Cloud, a Republican candidate who was first elected to the position in 2018 and has held it since. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives serve in two-year terms. The next election is 2026. 'With a mission rooted in community, entrepreneurship, and innovation, McQueen's campaign is focused on helping businesses start and grow — across space programs, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), fitness, and film — while putting people first at every level,' the news release states. McQueen, a U.S. Navy veteran, has a long political history, including several runs for local offices as well as bids for congressional seats elsewhere. He was on the ballot for Corpus Christi mayor in 2014, 2016 and 2018. McQueen won the role in the November 2016 election and helped to lead the city through its December 2016 tap water ban. He announced his resignation via a Facebook post after 37 days in office following questions raised about his résumé, his relationship with his chief of staff and a series of social media posts. He announced plans in 2017 to run against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, but later dropped out of the race, according to Caller-Times archives. McQueen also ran for U.S. House District 35 in 2022, winning the Republican nomination, according to Associated Press reports. He later lost to his Democratic contender in the general election, reports by San Antonio-based broadcast station KSAT show. More: Mayoral speech to Republicans blasts city staff, media This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Former Corpus Christi mayor Dan McQueen plans bid for seat in Congress
Yahoo
24-05-2025
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Man charged with capital murder in woman's stabbing death, Corpus Christi police say
Corpus Christi police have charged a man with capital murder in the May 15 stabbing death of a 48-year-old woman. Police officers were dispatched to the 2300 block of Kinsolving Court at 7:18 a.m. on May 15 in reference to a stabbing, the police department said in a news release. When officers arrived, they found a 48-year-old woman who had died from an apparent stabbing. On May 23, detectives secured a capital murder warrant for Quentin Brown, 37. They served the warrant to the Nueces County Jail, where Brown has been held on unrelated charges. The stabbing was not a random act of violence, police said, as Brown and the victim knew each other. Brown was being held at the jail as of May 24. His bail was set at $1 million for the capital murder charge. An investigation into the stabbing is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Corpus Christi Police Department detectives at 361-886-2840. People can submit anonymous tips by calling Crime Stoppers at 361-888-TIPS (8477) or by visiting filling out an online form here. More: Corpus Christi Crónica founder faces charges connected to illegal gambling raid More: Corpus Christi police arrest man in connection with shooting involving car clubs This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Man charged with capital murder in woman's stabbing in Corpus Christi
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man charged with capital murder in woman's stabbing death, Corpus Christi police say
Corpus Christi police have charged a man with capital murder in the May 15 stabbing death of a 48-year-old woman. Police officers were dispatched to the 2300 block of Kinsolving Court at 7:18 a.m. on May 15 in reference to a stabbing, the police department said in a news release. When officers arrived, they found a 48-year-old woman who had died from an apparent stabbing. On May 23, detectives secured a capital murder warrant for Quentin Brown, 37. They served the warrant to the Nueces County Jail, where Brown has been held on unrelated charges. The stabbing was not a random act of violence, police said, as Brown and the victim knew each other. Brown was being held at the jail as of May 24. His bail was set at $1 million for the capital murder charge. An investigation into the stabbing is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Corpus Christi Police Department detectives at 361-886-2840. People can submit anonymous tips by calling Crime Stoppers at 361-888-TIPS (8477) or by visiting filling out an online form here. More: Corpus Christi Crónica founder faces charges connected to illegal gambling raid More: Corpus Christi police arrest man in connection with shooting involving car clubs This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Man charged with capital murder in woman's stabbing in Corpus Christi
