Police Reports 5.18.13
Written by Staff
Human Trafficking
The Irving Police Department is currently investigating a human trafficking offense that has led to the arrest of 17-year-old Irving resident Travis Lekas. Irving police were made aware of the offense on May 3, when a 15-year-old female made an outcry about being the victim of a sexual assault.
Lekas brought the victim to his residence, where she remained under the influence of drugs and alcohol for three days. During that time, Lekas compelled the victim into becoming involved in prostitution.
Lekas and the victim attend the same school and know each other. Investigators have also learned that Lekas attempted to recruit other young girls into committing acts of prostitution. Police are in the process of identifying those girls and conducting interviews in order to determine if there are any other victims. An arrest warrant for human trafficking of a person younger than 18-years-old was issued for Lekas, and he was arrested without incident May 13.
Lekas is currently in custody at the Irving Jail on one count of human trafficking of a person younger than 18-years-old, one count of compelling prostitution and one count of sexual performance by a child. His bond has been set at $175,000.
Sexual Assault Investigation
The Irving Police Department is currently investigating a report of a sexual assault that occurred May 13 in the 1900 block of Muret.
At about 9 a.m., the victim was confronted by a male suspect as she walked out the front door of her home. The suspect forced her back into the residence and assaulted her. The victim was knocked unconscious during the attack and sexually assaulted. When the victim woke up the suspect was gone, so she immediately called the police.
The suspect was wearing all black clothing, including black gloves and a black mask. He is about 5’9”, weighs between 150 and 160 pounds, and has dark hair. The victim said he had a medium complexion and appeared to be either of Hispanic or Middle Eastern descent.
The Irving Police Department would like to remind everyone to be aware of their surroundings and to immediately call the police if they see someone or something suspicious. If anyone has information that could assist investigators in locating the suspect, they are asked to call the Irving Police at 972-273-1010.
Drug Seizure
On May 13, the Irving Police Department’s Special Investigations Section arrested four people for possession of marijuana under 2,000 pounds and seized 1,686 pounds of marijuana.
Investigators received an anonymous tip that a U-Haul truck containing a large amount of narcotics was parked inside the City of Irving. Investigators were able to locate the truck in the parking lot of a closed business on Irving Boulevard. While investigators were conducting surveillance on the truck, a vehicle dropped off a male who got into the truck and drove away. Officers were able to stop the U-Haul for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, a narcotics detection K-9 alerted to the vehicle while walking around the outside of the truck.
Investigators searched the cargo area of the truck and found over one hundred cardboard boxes containing marijuana. The marijuana was wrapped in plastic and secreted inside the cardboard boxes, which also contained powder cement. The estimated street value of the narcotics is $1.6 million.
The arrested men have been identified as 44-year-old Laurencio Hernandez Jr., 25-year-old Jose Alberto Flores, 21-year-old Oscar Hernandez and 36-year-old Juan Luis Rangel. Each has been charged with possession of marijuana under 2,000 pounds.
Source: Irving Police Department.
Last Updated on Friday, 24 May 2013 17:05
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Women's Alliance
Written by Sissy Courtney
A panel of local business leaders discussed the latest social media trends and their impact on businesses at the Irving Chamber of Commerce Women’s Alliance Luncheon at the La Cima Club in Las Colinas on April 17.
Tracey Southers, President of Word Play, a public relations and marketing company in Grapevine, moderated the panel.
“Social media continues to be a hot topic, and even though it is relatively new, it seems like you can’t escape it or avoid it, even if you want to. Between Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google Plus, Pinterest, Instagram…it’s everywhere, and it can be overwhelming,” Southers said. “If you’re like me, you’ve started paying attention to the little social media icons now: TV commercials, print advertisements, brochures, and websites. That makes the case for social media being a powerful business tool not only to market your products and services, but to communicate with your audiences and also for customer service.”
Last Updated on Friday, 24 May 2013 15:44
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New representatives elected to the IISD Board of Trustees
Written by Amanda Casanova
The Irving Independent School Board of Trustees may change its direction after the May 11 election selected new faces to the board.
In district 7, an at-large position, Randy Randle earned 66 percent of 4,268 votes in the election. His opponent Mike Gregory took 34 percent of the votes.
In district 5, Lee A. Mosty beat out incumbent Gwen Craig with 57 percent of 1,275 votes. Craig earned 33 percent, and contender Manuel A. Benavidez won 10 percent.
Norma C. Gonzales won the district 6 seat by default with no competitors. Gonzales is a member of the PTA, the district improvement committee, the parent advisory committee and a Head Start of Greater Dallas Policy Council member.
Randle has lived in Irving for more than 50 years. He is a graduate of Nimitz High School and his two sons attended Irving schools. He has served as PTA fundraising chairman, Band Booster president and on campus and district improvement committees. He was also a City Council member.
“I was overwhelmed with the support and the volunteers I had working on my behalf,” Randle said. “I ran my campaign on a message of positive change for our schools and I am looking forward to pointing our focus back to student achievement.”
Last Updated on Friday, 24 May 2013 15:12
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Spring Break “No-Refusal” DWI enforcement results
Written by Contributor
The Irving Police Department recently participated in the state-wide Impaired Driving Mobilization grant over the Spring Break holiday.
Irving officers made 26 DWI arrests during the no-refusal operation. Seven DPS troopers also participated in the operation and made 21 arrests for DWI. The Grand Prairie Police Department also utilized the operation, bringing six DWI arrests to Irving for blood draws.
Throughout the holiday, the Irving Police Department partnered with law enforcement agencies in the area, as well as TXDOT, in order to provide additional manpower with the primary focus of locating and arresting impaired drivers. Two no-refusal operations were conducted in conjunction with the grant. During the no-refusal operations, those arrested for DWI were only offered a blood test. If the arrested person refused to provide a sample, a judge was present in order to authorize a warrant for a blood draw.
The Irving Police Department will continue to participate in the state-wide grant, which has shown continued success in Irving and across the state. Over the no-refusal weekend there were no alcohol related crashes in Irving.
Source: City of Irving
Last Updated on Monday, 01 April 2013 09:24
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Springtime sees increased alcohol-related traffic crashes on Texas roads
Written by Phil Cerroni
Spring – March 1 through May 31 – marks the most dangerous season on Texas roadways for alcohol-related traffic crashes. That’s why the Texas Department of Transportation is reminding motorists to line up a P.A.S.S. – a Person Appointed to Stay Sober – because even “buzzed” driving is drunk driving.
State law makes it illegal for someone with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 percent or higher to drive a vehicle. However, drivers can be arrested with a BAC below .08 when a law enforcement officer has probable cause, based on the driver’s behavior.
“People often don’t recognize the impact that one or two drinks can have on their ability to operate a vehicle,” said John Barton, TxDOT’s deputy executive director. “Alcohol slows your reaction time, reduces your ability to properly gauge speed or distance from other objects and makes it difficult for you to focus on the road. It takes less alcohol than you think so don’t take a chance. Always plan ahead for a sober ride home.”
Click here for the complete story.
Source: Texas Department of Transportation
Last Updated on Monday, 25 March 2013 10:28
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