Latest news with #TravisCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Man shoots another in the head during argument over money: police
The Brief Man shot another in the head during an argument about money Man was arrested on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon The victim later died at the hospital, and suspect is now charged with murder AUSTIN, Texas - A man is now facing a murder charge after a shooting last week at a Northwest Austin apartment complex. What we know 27-year-old Waleed Beriji is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of 26-year-old Noah Talbott. On Thursday May 29, just after midnight, Austin police officers responded to a shoot/stab hotshot call at the Westdale Point Apartments at 7117 Wood Hollow Drive, just off Far W Boulevard and North Mopac. Someone called 911 and reported someone had been shot. When officers arrived, they found Talbott with a gunshot wound to the head. Talbott was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he died over 24 hours later. The suspect, later identified as Beriji, had left the scene before officers arrived. The investigation that followed showed that the two men had been involved in a fight regarding money. Talbott escorted Beriji to the door, and Beriji allegedly pulled out a handgun from his bag and shot Talbott in the head before fleeing the scene. APD arrested Beriji in the 3000 block of South Congress, over 12 miles away from the scene, and booked him into the Travis County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. After Talbott was pronounced dead, Beriji was charged with murder. What's next Beriji is still in the Travis County Jail on $300,000 bond with the conditions that he have a GPS monitor, no contact with the complaining witness and a drug evaluation. Beriji also had an existing warrant from the Travis County Sheriff's Office for assaulting a family member by impeding their breath or circulation from last year, according to court records. What you can do Anyone with information should contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. Anyone can also submit a tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting or calling 512-472-8477. The Source Information in this report comes from the Austin Police Department and court and jail records.
Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Girl, 7, found locked in wardrobe in desperate search for two-year-old sister
Ava Marie Gonzales has been missing since December 2017, when she was two years old. Now, her seven-year-old sister has been discovered locked in a closet, as the mystery takes another twist A desperate search is underway for Ava Marie Gonzales, who has been missing since December 2017, when she was just two years old. Her disappearance remained a mystery until April 3, 2024, when her seven-year-old sister was found starving and locked in a closet at the family's home. According to an arrest warrant affidavit cited by ABC News, the young girl was discovered "malnourished, soiled, and barricaded in a bedroom closet" after a 911 call was made. She was immediately rushed to the hospital and is currently recovering. In a public appeal on May 6, the Austin Police Department called for help in locating Ava, a now nine-year-old girl. Detective Russell Constable expressed concern for Ava's well-being, given the circumstances of her sister's discovery. 'The Austin Police Department is asking the community for help to find Ava Marie Gonzales,' Constable said in a press conference. 'Our detectives are seriously concerned about Ava's welfare, given the circumstances in which her sibling was found.' The seven-year-old girl had been locked in the closet for a month, according to police. She was reportedly fed only a hot dog or corn dog each morning and given just half a cup of water a day. She weighed only 29 pounds when taken to the hospital. The child was discovered by her grandmother during a visit to the home, who immediately called the police. Ava's mother, Virginia Gonzales, was arrested on April 24 and charged with injury to a child and serious bodily injury related to the seven-year-old. Authorities discovered six other children in the home, all appearing physically healthy. Police have not yet identified Ava's father but are working to do so. Virginia Gonzales is currently being held on a £56,484 bond, according to inmate records from the Travis County Sheriff's Office. To aid in the search for Ava, the police have released an age-progressed photo of what she may look like today. Ava is described as a Hispanic female with straight brown hair and brown eyes. The appeal comes after a Michigan mum was arrested after her three kids were found living in "deplorable" conditions, amidst heaps of rubbish and excrement. The unnamed 34-year-old was arrested when her children, a 15-year-old boy and two girls aged 12 and 13, were discovered in "absolute squalor" at their Pontiac residence in February. Officers performed a welfare check following a tip-off from the landlord who hadn't seen the mother since December, with rent unpaid since October. The kids claimed they'd been ditched by their mum back in either 2020 or 2021, fending for themselves ever since. Inside the house the children called home was a horror show, strewn with human waste, mould, and rubbish piled up to four feet high in places. The youngsters were also clueless about basic hygiene, like using toiletries or flushing the toilet, and hadn't been to school since being left to their own devices. The girls hadn't stepped outside for years, bedding down on old pizza boxes, while the older boy slept on a mattress on the floor, their days filled with telly and games. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard condemned the living situation as "deplorable and intolerable for an animal."
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Travis County Sheriff's Office discusses illegal dumping concerns & dangers
TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Across Travis County, you can find different areas with tires, trash and mattresses piling up. The Travis County Sheriff's Office said it's responding to more illegal dumping cases as the area grows. Environmental Detective Carlton Brown said no part of the county is immune to it. 'Dumping happens in the west side, the east side, north, south,' Brown said. 'It can grow really rapidly.' Brown investigates these types of cases. 'Illegal dumping is basically the disposal, or allowing someone to dispose of hazardous waste or solid waste on your property or anywhere else that's not authorized as a waste site.' Travis County Sheriff's Office Environmental Detective Carlton Brown Brown said these dumps can pose multiple environmental and safety dangers to the public, especially with dry conditions across the area. 'If an accidental fire starts, then it becomes a very big problem for the fire department,' Brown said. 'We don't know what, what's in there, what could be burning.' The penalties for illegal dumping can range, the detective said. He said it can range from a Class C Misdemeanor, all the way up to a state jail felony. When it comes to cleaning up an area, Brown said it depends where it's located. 'If it's on private property, it becomes incumbent on the person that owns that property to clean it up,' Brown said. Travis County Natural Resources will help clean up if it's on the side of a maintained county road. Brown said a lot of their information about illegal dumping comes from the community. He encourages people to reach out if they see anything. 'A vehicle license plate, the suspect information,' Brown said. 'If they can get a description of what they're throwing away, what they're wearing, what they're driving, all those kinds of things.' In January, KXAN reported on a property in southern Travis County located near the intersection of Dee Gabriel Collins Road and McKinney Falls Parkway. 'It's disrespectful': Travis County property being used as dump site A neighbor, who asked to hide their identity, said none of the trash was there three and a half years ago. 'It's disrespectful. It's not the way to live in Texas,' the neighbor said. 'I mean, it shouldn't be happening.' At the time, KXAN contacted the property owner. The Kentucky-based LLC said it would look into the issue. KXAN visited the site again on Tuesday, and the tires and mattresses were still there. We reached out again to the property owner to get an update, and are waiting to hear back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
‘It was going to be our counseling center': Trailer stolen from Healing with Horses Ranch in Manor
MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — The unthinkable theft at a horse therapy center in Manor. A trailer, freshly refurbished by volunteers, was stolen. It was meant to serve as an extension of a counseling center at the Healing with Horses Ranch. 'Having this stolen from us makes me question if this is the right thing, but in my heart I know it's the right thing,' founder Patty D'Andre said. While the counseling program is continuing, the ranch is now left without. The nonprofit believes it was likely taken overnight between March 18 and 19. The day they planned to move into it was the day the trailer was stolen. 'We are a therapeutic riding center that gives riding lessons and horsemanship lessons to kids and adults with physical challenges, emotional challenges and learning challenges,' D'Andre said. These are the most common cars being stolen in Texas It's been a longtime goal of hers to expand the program. 'The dream is happening. The RV was going to be our counseling center,' she said. Development Director Rebekah Fookes said it took several hours into the day to realize it was indeed stolen. Bolt cutters were used to open the gate at its location off Highway 973. The group said it found the bolts and remnants of a broken tail light nearby. 'I'm sure the person who took [the trailer] had no idea how much blood, sweat and tears went into that and that's what hurts me more than anything,' D'Andre said. Volunteers had spent months gutting and rehabbing it, including space for a conference area and desk. '[The trailer] was going to be a temporary thing,' D'Andre explained. 'We have to raise a lot of money to build this covered ground pen and offices and bathrooms.' REPORT: How many cars were stolen in Texas last year? While the stolen trailer is a setback, it is not stopping the group from helping riders get their healing with horses. 'Park it out on the side of the road. It's OK. No questions asked,' D'Andre said. Here's what to look out for: 2005 Sun Lite single slide out travel trailer New hardwood floors inside New fixtures Conference area Dinette transformed into a desk Horse grooming bucket inside Anyone with information on its whereabouts is asked to contact local authorities. The Travis County Sheriff's Office is in charge of the investigation; however, Manor police also said it was aware of the theft. The nonprofit is volunteer-driven and relies on donations. Those interested in donating can do so on its website here or through an Amazon wish list here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Yahoo
Austin man accused of painting swastikas, profanity on properties around Travis County
The Brief An Austin man is facing charges for painting swastikas and profanity on properties around Travis County Officials believe the man is involved in more than 40 incidents Antisemitic incidents are increasing nationwide, expert says LAKEWAY, Texas - An Austin area man is facing charges for painting swastikas and profanity on properties around Travis County over an 11-month period. Authorities said he's involved in more than 40 reported incidents. Investigators said security video from a place Paul Zegarra had been kicked out of for "poor behavior" helped link him to all these incidents. The backstory Court documents said the incidents happened between March-December 2024 in Lakeway, Bee Cave, and unincorporated parts of the county. The graffiti was reportedly seen on utility poles, signs, mirrors inside public bathrooms, parking garages, homes, sports complexes, the community library, fences, garage doors, and vehicles. Zegarra is facing charges of criminal mischief and graffiti causing financial loss, about $9,000 worth so far. Zegarra is out of jail. He has a hearing on Feb. 28. What they're saying A spokesperson for the Travis County Sheriff's Office said they are actively investigating a graffiti case involving a vehicle belonging to District Judge Jan Soifer, who presides over civil and family law cases in Travis County. TCSO said at this point in the investigation, Zegarra cannot be ruled out as a possible suspect. He could face additional charges. By the numbers In 2023, the Anti-Defamation League recorded 63 incidents of antisemitic assault, vandalism, and harassment, a more than 40% increase compared to the year before. The official audit of antisemitic incidents for 2024 hasn't been released yet, but Jake Kurz, Anti-Defamation League Director of Strategic Communications, said, "Preliminarily, it looks like we're going to have another record year of anti-Semitic incidents, hate incidents generally from white supremacist groups." What they're saying Kurz said antisemitism needs to be addressed. "If we're going to bring these levels of hate down across the board, we engage with each other in a more civil way, productive way, not through social media, not through, you know, talking at others," Kurz said. "We just encourage them to try this as a hate crime because we feel pretty strongly that this is sending a message of hate," Kurz added. "Not only does it intimidate and not only is it hurtful to the Jewish community, and the memory that that symbol has about the Holocaust and the deaths of millions of Jews, but it just spits on the legacy of the troops in the United States who serve to defeat that kind of evil," Anti-Defamation League Director of Strategic Communications Jake Kurz said. "It's just not the right message and not the message that we want to have here in the Austin area," Kurz said. The Source Information from court documents and interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis
