Edna police handle DWI, psychiatric calls

    Every day when a police officer comes to work, he has no idea what the day may bring. Over the last few weeks Edna police officers deal with things from DWI, to Assault, to mental health issues.

    On Friday, May 14, officers responded to a residence on S. Kleas in response to call of potential Assault/Family Violence, called in by a third party. Officer Nathan Besler arrived and made contact with the resident owner and she allowed him to come inside. While he was there he observed broken furniture and some glass shattered on the floor. Looking into it, Besler could tell she was not being very cooperative but he noticed injuries on her.

    “This is a house we frequent from time to time for very similar type calls,” Edna Police Chief Rick Boone said.

     Besler contacted the husband and he denied it. Both parties were then checked for injuries. She had injuries and he didn’t, which led to an Assault/Family Violence arrest.

    Officers were contacted on the morning of Monday, May 17, about a break in that occurred at 9:05 p.m. the night before at the Services Building.

    “We discovered forced entry was made into the building” Boone said. “They got into the library and the Ag Extension office. I feel like they came off the highway, not knowing what that building consisted of. They seemed to only target the two interior doors that had glass openings. They left with a little bit of money and a couple of unopened boxes the library had received on a Friday shipment. Those boxes consisted of seven books.

    “We have some video. A white male subject. Appeared to have a covid-covering mask. Late twenties or early thirties. We could tell he had tattoos but couldn’t make them out. We believe we have a vehicle that may be involved. It looks to be a silver/darker gray four door mercedes. We collected some evidence left behind and sent it to the lab and are waiting for the results.

    “It was pretty brazen, because HEB at 9 p.m. was pretty busy.”

    Around 3:30 p.m. on “Senior Skip Day” a male subject was leaving a party and believed to be intoxicated. He was travelling down Dugger St., struck a mail box, continued on to a local business where he was later arrested for DUI-Minor and Duty Upon Striking.

    On May 19 just before 8 p.m., officer Besler was dispatched to Shelby Park in reference to a vehicle believed to be “mudding” by the baseball fields, which is a common problem for the police department.

    “Any time we get rain, it is kind of a hot spot for kids to go,” Edna Lieutenant Jeremy Crull said. “This time, one of the kids got stuck, got “caught in their tracks.” He was driving a two wheel drive instead of a four wheel drive.”

    Officers made contact with the subject and he was cited for Reckless Damage and Destruction.

    On May 19, officers and the fire department were dispatched to 701 Frank White in regards to a structure fire. After the fire was put out it was discovered the fire was burning in two different places in the house.

    “The resident there essentially had a mental episode, he is a psych patient,” Crull explained. “He ran over to a relatives house and started telling the relative he set his house on fire because there are aliens in the house but he took care of them because he set the house on fire. He made reference to a starship and aliens in the wall who made him do it. He was taken to the local hospital where he was evaluated for his mental health and then taken to a mental health facility.”

    “We did pursue an affidavit and a warrant,” Boone explained. “He is still being evaluated, but the property was not solely owned by him, so any time there is an outside party that has interest in it we have to pursue it.”

    On May 25 officers were dispatched to the feeder road of 59 and Houston Highway for a white male subject who appeared to be intoxicated or under the influence of something. Officers made contact with the subject and he granted consent for a search of a backpack he was carrying. Inside the backpack officers found several syringes as well as a bottle containing a liquid substance. The bottle was field tested and tested positive for methamphetamines. The subject, an Austin resident, was arrested.