By Monte Ashqar
Nine burglary and theft incidents were reported in the Nov. 2 blotter in multiple parking lots at this college from Oct. 22 to 28.
Five of these incidents occurred Oct. 22.
On Oct. 22, two incidents occurred in Lot 2, two in Lot 7 and one in Lot 1, then on Oct. 23, a vehicle was burglarized in Lot 26, while in Lot 2 a vehicle was stolen. Oct. 24, two vehicles were stolen from the parking lot at Howard and Evergreen.
According to the police incident reports, all of these incidents with the exception of the burglary in Lot 26, which happened between 10:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., occurred during the day.
Sgt. Ben Peña of the district department of public safety said property crimes are crimes of opportunity. “All a burglar needs is a few minutes to do enough damage,” Peña said.
On being understaffed, Peña said the department is efficiently staffed to handle problems, and the manpower issue is not related to the burglary.
Richard Mosley, criminal justice program coordinator, said every police department would like to have more officers.
“The crime statistics would determine how many officers are needed in a certain area,” Mosley said. “There are no set standards, because it varies from city to city.”
On Oct. 26, The Ranger reported that burglary suspect Christopher Ramos, 19, was arrested red-handed in the Saint’s parking lot Sept. 25.
Ramos had two outstanding warrants when he was arrested, one for prostitution and the other for possession of marijuana, said Anthony Robertson, Bexar County Adult Detention Center clerk.
Burglary of a vehicle is a Class A misdemeanor under the Texas penal code punishable with a fine not to exceed $4,000 and confinement not to exceed one year. And prostitution is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by a $2,000 fine and 180 days in jail.
Possession of marijuana is a Class B misdemeanor in Ramos’ case because he had less than two ounces, Robertson said.
Ramos pled no contest before Honorable Henry Schuble, sitting judge at the auxiliary court in the municipal court on Oct. 9, Barbara Espinosa-Vera, county court supervisor at the Bexar County Justice Center, said.
“Ramos was in jail for 10 days from July 17 to 26 for the marijuana and prostitution charges,” Espinosa-Vera said.
Espinosa-Vera said Ramos was set a court date that he did not show up for, and that is why he had two active warrants when he was arrested for burglarizing a vehicle.
When Ramos went before Schuble on Oct. 9, after he was arrested for the burglary, and spent 14 days in jail from Sept. 26 to Oct. 9, Schuble determined Ramos had spent enough time to satisfy his sentence for all three charges, and he was released that day.
Schuble sentenced Ramos to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine but gave him credit for 24 days Ramos spent in jail.
“Judges usually count each day spent in jail for two or three days outside jail, but it is up to the judge to determine if the defendant had satisfied his sentence,” Espinosa-Vera said.
Ramos was arrested Feb. 5 for an assault with bodily injury charge, Espinosa-Vera said.
The Ranger attempted contacting Judge Schuble by phone Thursday, but was unsuccessful.