RPD Newsoom

August 1, 2008

We work for you. Please work with us.

Burglars Working Overtime

Summertime burglars are putting in extra time depriving citizens of Robinson of their hard eared personal property. Unfortunately, most of these burglaries could have easily been prevented.

Within the past week several burglaries of motor vehicles occurred during the night. In each case items were left in open view, providing burglars the opportunity to “shop” for items of their choice. And, owners of each vehicle burglarized left their vehicles unlocked.

Some of the items stolen from vehicles include tools, IPods, a radar detector, a small television, a digital camera, a carton of cigarettes, purses, wallets, and cash.

In a burglary of a residence, a television and jewelry were taken. The residence was left unlocked while the resident left for only a few minutes.

“Burglars are opportunist,” stated Chief Smith of the Robinson Police Department. “If people continue to leave valuables in open view inside their cars and leave their vehicles and homes unlocked, burglars are going to take advantage of the situation.”

The Robinson Police Department’s, with its motto of “We work for you, please work with us,” implores citizens to work in cooperation with police officers and take precautions from becoming a crime victim. Removing valuable items from vehicles and locking the door of vehicles and residences will impede most burglars. While police officers patrol the city all day and night trying to catch these thieves, there is nothing that will help stop these crimes more than citizens taking charge of their own property.

Joining or attending an existing Neighborhood Crime Watch program is another step in stopping crime in neighborhoods. For more information regarding crime prevention techniques and organizations, please call Officer Brad Richardson of the Robinson Police Department at 662-0525 .

Robinson Robber Caught

Eleven days after the Subway Sandwich Shop in Robinson was robbed at gunpoint the Robinson Police Department knows who robbed the store and where he is.

Wednesday afternoon, July 2, 2008 , a white male robbed a pizza restaurant in Bellmead. A vehicle description was quickly given out by the Bellmead Police Department and soon thereafter units from the Bellmead Police Department and Lacy Lakeview Police Department stopped the vehicle on IH-35 near mile marker 350. Two people were taken into custody by the Bellmead Police Department for the pizza restaurant robbery, including a 25 year old white male.

The 25 year old male was later interviewed by Lt. Tracy O’Connor of the Robinson Police Department confessed to having also committed the robbery in Robinson on June 21.

The man is reported to live in the Garland area and was familiar with Robinson from a previous visit to the community. The suspect admitted to using a 9mm semi-automatic handgun in the Robinson robbery and said he committed the armed robbery because of his desperate financial situation.

The Robinson Police Department will obtain warrants for the suspect first thing Thursday morning. Because this is an ongoing investigation, the amount of money taken in the Robinson robbery has not been release, although the amount taken was relatively small.

Chief Rusty Smith of the Robinson Police Department said that interagency cooperation is responsible for this capture. “Seeing Bellmead, Lacy Lakeview, and the Robinson Police Department’s all work together is what professional law enforcement is all about. Everyone did a great job in jointly bring these cases to a close,” commented Chief Smith.

Health alert: Rabies vaccines running short

The United States is currently experiencing a severe shortage of human rabies vaccine, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Pre-exposure vaccinations of veterinary, animal control, game wardens, laboratory and other high-risk personnel are “on hold” until the vaccine shortage is resolved.

Encounters, especially bites or scratches from bats, skunks, coyotes, foxes, bobcats and raccoons are considered very high risk for rabies infection. However, bites or scratches from dogs or cats also can be dangerous as unvaccinated pets are often the most common link between wildlife rabies and humans.

The biggest thing you can do to avoid exposure is to make sure that people have their pets vaccinated against rabies. Do your best to counsel your children not to pet strange dogs and cats under any circumstances.

Symptoms of rabies can vary. Watch for signs that may include:

• Abnormal behavior or confusion. For example, nocturnal animals such as coyotes or raccoons should not be seen during daylight hours.

• Excessive salivation and aggression. However, not all animals with rabies will foam at the mouth. In some cases, animals will become lethargic.

If you or a loved one is bitten or scratched by an animal follow these steps:

• Wash the wounds thoroughly with plenty of soap and water and consult a physician as soon as possible.

• Secure the animal for observation or testing if possible.

• If an animal is killed, get it processed for shipment as soon as possible to reduce the chances of a “decomposed” test result.

• To reduce the chance of a “destroyed” test result, do not damage the animal’s brain.

• If an animal cannot be captured, but it remains in the area and can be observed for a 10-day period, that is an acceptable alternative to treatment.

“The treatment for rabies is expensive and long. Once a patient receiving treatment is given Rabies Immune Globulin Human (RIGH), a series of 5 shots is administered. Once rabies is diagnosed in a human, the results is almost always fatal.

Armed Robbery At Subway In Robinson

Robinson – Saturday afternoon was just another hot sultry day for most people in Robinson. But for the store clerk and witness at the Subway sandwich store on North Robinson Drive, this Saturday afternoon would turn down right dangerous.

At about 2:45 p.m. June 21, 2008 , an armed man entered the Subway and took a small amount of cash from the store clerk. A witness inside the store offered his wallet to the robber but the robber was interested in a bigger haul.

Chief Rusty Smith said that the man entered the store and walked toward the witness first. “After telling the witness he wasn’t interested in the witness’ wallet, the robber walked toward the checkout area of the store and demanded all their cash,” said Chief Smith.

The robber then raised what appeared to be a semi-automatic pistol toward the ceiling of the store and fired one round. “The spend cartridge fell to the ground but no bullet hole was located inside the store. It is our belief that the robber must have shot a blank round from the pistol,” noted Chief Smith.

The robber was described as a white male with a dark tan who is about 5’09” to 5’10” tall, weighs about 160 pounds, and was wearing a dark baseball cap, dark cargo pants, and a short sleeve tan colored shirt covered by what appeared to be a bullet resistant vest.

A K-9 unit from the Lorena Police Department was able to locate a scent leading from the front door where the robber entered and exited the business and toward the rear for the business, where witnesses last saw the robber walking. The K-9 tracked the scent about a half a block to a parking area where the scent abruptly ended, leading Chief Smith to speculate that the robber may have left the area in an unknown vehicle.

This is the second time Subway has been robbed in Robinson. The first time this occurred was when the business was first established but that was in another location.

Anyone with information regarding the identification of this robber is asked to contact the Robinson Police Department by calling (254) 662-0525. Caller wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (254) 753-HELP.

Vehicle Burglars Continue to Hit Robinson Hard

Twenty-six (26) vehicle burglaries and several home burglaries have occurred in Robinson between April 1 and June 18, 2008 . This is a disturbing trend that most communities experience every summer.

“I have seen this summertime burglary trend occur in every community I have served in my 33 years as a police officer,” stated Chief Rusty Smith of the Robinson Police Department. He went on to say that there is one common factor regarding this trend, that being young people having too much unsupervised time when they are not attending school.

“There will be a certain number of students from all schools who will find themselves tempted to get into trouble. This is especially true when children are not held accountable for their time and actions,” stated Chief Smith, a parent of three sons himself. Chief Smith said that it can be a daunting task for parents to keep up with and hold their children accountable; however this is one of the major responsibilities of being a parent.

“I am a long time believer that children want and need boundaries and, as parents, we must show them where these boundaries lie. “I would much rather have parents holding their children accountable for their actions than my police officers having to do it,” commented Chief Smith. He went on to say that the consequences children experience through parental action and intervention often does more good that the more severe consequences they may experience through the criminal justice system.

Chief Smith asks that the community help remove the temptation for burglars to prey on citizens by removing valuable items from sight in vehicles. He also asks that residents make sure their doors and windows are closed and locked on their homes and to remove valuable items from the view of passersby.

The 26 burglaries reported to the Robinson Police Department occurred on West Billington, South Cedar Ridge, East Dawn, Emberwood, Falcon Drive, Headrick, Kettler, Kim Lane, Lux, East Lyndale, Meadowbrook, Riggins, Rio Benito, Ruidoso Downs, East San Benito, Springwood, Saratoga, and East Ward.

Anyone with information regarding the identity of the person(s) involved in any of the burglaries is encouraged to call the Robinson Police Department at 662-0525. Callers wanting to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 753-HELP (4357).

Second Annual RPD Awards Program

The Robinson Police Department honored several officers, staff, and local citizens at its second annual awards program on Tuesday, May 27.

As with the first awards program, this year’s awards honored both police officers and citizens. Throughout the year, police department employees and local citizens go the extra mile to serve the citizens of Robinson by providing exceptional service to and through the Robinson Police Department. The awards program is designed to bring community awareness of those exhibiting exemplary service and to honor the recipients.

A committee from within the Robinson Police Department continues to develop Chief Rusty Smith’s idea of acknowledging excellent police service through this awards program.

Telecommunicator Jessica Dumesnil, Officer Patrick Carey, and Lt. Jeff Lewellen were all honored with the Life Saving Award for their participation in the life saving event of a Robinson man in January 2007.

Cpl. Brent Ewing was honored with the Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding service to the community in such programs as the Citizen Police Academy Coordinator, as the organizer of several Neighborhood Watch programs, for organizing the local National Night Out program, for his initiating the Shattered Dreams program, and for his example of professionalism as a police officer.

Junior High School Principal Barry Gann was honored with the Distinguished Service Award for his efforts that led to his finding a lost citizen that had been missing for 16 hours in temperatures that were dangerous to him and the lost person.

Thirty students, a school sponsor, several corporate sponsors, and a citizen were al honored with the Community Service Award for their assitance in the Shattered Dreams project.

Vehicle Burglars Hit Robinson Hard

Ten vehicle burglaries have occurred in the first two and a half weeks of April in Robinson and the Robinson Police Department needs your help in solving these crimes. Street where these burglaries occurred are West Billington , East San Benito , Dawn, East Ward, Meadowbrook, Kim Lane, Springwood, Saratoga , and Rio Benito.

In each case items left in the vehicles were valuable to the thieves. Some of these items include CD players, firearms, a dashboard with a GPS device installed, and assorted tools.

The Robinson Police Department is seeking any information that leads to the arrest of these burglars and recovery of property taken from these vehicles. Anyone with information about any of these cases is encouraged to call the Robinson Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division at 662-0525 or contact Crime Stoppers at 753-HELP (4357) to remain anonymous.

The Robinson Police Department asks citizens to remove all valuable items from view in their parked vehicles, lock the vehicle's doors, and park in a lighted location when available.

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR
Laura White, Animal Control Officer since 2003, was named City of Robinson Employee of the Year for 2007 at the annual Employee Appreciation Banquet. Ms. White was cited for her hard work, cheerful attitude and dedication to duty. Ms. White is the first police department employee to be awarded the Employee of the Year title. The award is voted on by all city employees.

City employees and their families were treated to a catered dinner that included a surprise visit from Santa Claus. Entertainment was furnished by the Robinson High School Show Choir conducted by Stacy Porter.

Mayor Bryan Ferguson presented five year service awards to Kevin Vranich, Melissa Leavelle, David Myers and Rebecca Merchant. City Secretary Linda Vranich received a 20 year service recognition.

More Rabid Animals Found in Robinson
In early September a rabid skunk was discovered at a residence on Lux Street in Robinson. Not long after this report, another rabid skunk was discovered on East Rocket Road. Now comes a report of yet another rabid animal in Robinson.

In early October, a possum (opossum) that was acting strange was found on Lux Street. Robinson Police Department Animal Control Officer Laura White believed there was a strong suspicion that the possum might be rabid and had the animal tested. Sure enough, the possum was rabid, bringing to three the number of animals found in Robinson to be rabid this summer.

What makes the possum discovery so important is that possums are toward the end of the scale for contracting rabies. This is a sign that the rabies disease is starting to spread more than usual and citizens need to be aware of this situation.

Citizens can help protect their pets from rabies by having them vaccinated regularly, maintain control of their pets, keep cats indoors and keep dogs under direct supervision, and by having their pets spayed or neutered to help reduce the number of unwanted pets that may not be properly cared for, or vaccinated regularly.

If someone should be bitten by a dog or cat they should seek medical evaluation for the animal bite and if their unvaccinated pet is bitten by a wild animal they should contact their local law enforcement agency.

Area residents are asked to remain watchful for animals that have a change in behavior, a friendly dog might want to be alone, or a shy dog might want attention. Rabid dogs often become mean, roam, make strange noises and attack people and other animals.

Rabid animals may drool, and they sometimes swallow stones, sticks and other things. Watch for wild animals that seem to be friendly or tame and wild animals (coyotes, foxes, bats, skunks, and raccoons) which you do not usually see in the daytime.

Watch for animals that have a hard time walking, eating, or drinking or animals that bite or scratch at an old wound until it bleeds.

Citizens can report any of these observations to the Robinson Police Department by calling 662-0525. For Additional Information you can access the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies

The dog that bit the skunk has been placed into isolation for observation.

Two assaulted in home in Robinson
Just before 5:00 a.m. Friday, September 28, the Robinson Police Department received a telephone call from a resident in the 3100 block of South Robinson Drive. The caller said they had been attacked inside their home.