We are very pleased to present the first entry in our new feature 'Holtville Police Beat'. Former Holtville Tribune reporter Shawn Carroll wrote the 'Police Briefs' section of the paper through much of the 1990s and gained a faithful readership with his entertaining take on the law enforcement happenings of Holtville. When he left the paper in the early 2000s, the quality of the article took a nosedive and many stopped reading. Well, we're pleased to report that Mr. Carroll has come out of reporting retirement to write this article for us on a regular basis. So with no further ado, here's the first entry:
WORDS BY SHAWN CARROLL
October 31
- At 5:15 p.m. a deputy reported an incident while conducting a compliance check in the 700 block of Wooldridge Avenue . When he walked up to the front door, the resident’s dog ran out the screen door, tried to bite him and tore his pant leg. The owner of the dog reportedly said that it was up to date on its vaccinations.
October 30
- A car was reported to be taking up two handicapped parking spaces outside an apartment on East Fifth Street shortly after 1:30 a.m. A deputy issued a citation to its owner.
- An East Eighth Street resident called at 10:56 a.m. to complain that a postal carrier had pepper sprayed a dog. A deputy talked with the person and said that the local postmaster was the one to talk to about the incident.
- A motorist was cited for a traffic violation and failure to provide proof of insurance after a deputy reported witnessing the driver burning out at Fifth Street and Holt Avenue at 8:45 p.m.
October 28
- A vehicle was pulled over at East Seventh Street and Towland Road at 1:54 a.m. The driver was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and driving without a license. The vehicle was impounded.
- At 4:25 p.m. a resident of the Browning Trailer Park on West Fifth Street called to report that there was a disturbance taking place at a neighbor’s residence. Deputies made contact with the man, who said that he had been yelling at his daughter for being out in the street. He asked for extra patrols of the area to make sure she wasn’t hit by a car.
- A motorist reportedly found to be driving while under the influence was pulled over and arrested at Evan Hewes and Highway 115 just after 10:00 p.m. The vehicle was impounded and towed.
October 27
- A fight was reported to be taking place outside Hot Rods & Beer at 1:27 a.m., with one injured person said to be lying on the ground. Deputies were quickly on the scene and reported in that the situation was under control when they arrived.
- At 11:43 a.m. a deputy reported pulling over a driver spotted on his cell phone at Fifth Street and Holt Avenue . The deputy told dispatchers that he had to ask the driver to hang up the phone so they could discuss the infraction. The man was cited.
- An injured owl was taken into the Holtville substation at 10:15 p.m. Fish and Game officers were called but said they would be unable to pick up the bird until the following day. The man who found the owl said he would care for it until then.
October 26
- A Cedar Avenue resident reported that a neighbor’s smoke alarm had gone off at 5:49 p.m., and the elderly woman wouldn’t answer the door. Deputies found no one home, but the stove had been left on. It was turned off and the house was secured.
- An East Seventh Street resident reported finding a front window broken at 9:34 p.m. The damage was estimated at $100 and the homeowner didn’t have any ideas on who might have done it.
October 25
- A Palo Verde Avenue resident reported going outside shortly before 8:00 a.m. to find that her car had been keyed sometime during the night.
- At 8:35 a.m. Omar Francisco Aguilera, 30, was arrested on an outstanding warrant related to previous traffic violations.
