El Paso crime: Catholic church vandalized, beer burglar sought and stolen Kia crashes

Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times
Updated ·4 min read
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A specialized El Paso police unit that looks into possible hate crimes is investigating the vandalism of a Catholic church.

The vandalism occurred early Monday at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 10000 Pheasant Road in the Parkland area of Northeast El Paso, according to a post on the parish's Facebook page. The parish did not disclose the extent of the damage nor the type of vandalism because of the ongoing police investigation.

Some property was stolen and there was graffiti damage in a case being investigated as a burglary and a criminal mischief, a police spokesman said Wednesday. There had been no arrests.

"This does not appear to be a hate crime, however this is just preliminary information," Officer Adrian Cisneros, a police spokesman, said in an email.

The case is being investigated by the police Special Investigations Unit, which deals with cases that are possible hate crimes, a police spokesperson said. The unit also handles criminal investigations involving law enforcement officers and public officials.

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"The Most Holy Trinity Catholic Community and Diocese of El Paso wishes to thank our local law enforcement for their attention in regard to this matter. We ask for your prayers for all involved as we continue to work with law enforcement on this matter," the parish stated.

Anyone with information on the vandalism at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church may call the police nonemergency number at 915-832-4400 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers of El Paso at 915-566-8477 (TIPS).

Teen driver in stolen Kia arrested after far East Side crash

A teenager recently was arrested after allegedly crashing a stolen car while fleeing from police in far East El Paso, officials said.

A pursuit took place on July 6 after a license-plate reader alerted a police patrol, which then attempted to pull over a stolen 2016 Kia on Rich Beem Boulevard, Assistant District Attorney Kevin Marcantel said at a bond hearing.

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The driver, Kevin Armando Guerrero Estrada, 18, is accused of running from police before losing control on a curve and crashing after passing the roundabout on Rich Beem and Edgemere boulevards.

After crashing, Guerrero allegedly attempted to go in reverse and almost hit a patrol car, but the vehicle's door got caught on a traffic sign pole, said Marcantel, adding that the driver also could've faced an aggravated assault charge if he had struck the police car.

The teen then allegedly ran out of the car and took off eastbound on Edgemere before he was taken into custody.

The prosecutor said that Guerrero endangered other people in the car by fleeing from police in an incident recorded on dashboard and body cameras.

The thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles have skyrocketed in El Paso and nationwide due to social-media videos showing how to start the vehicles without a key due to a security flaw.

"He obviously knew it was a stolen car," Marcantel said. Officers noted that the vehicle's steering column was tampered with, leaving the ignition switch exposed and allowing it to start without a key, the prosecutor added.

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Guerrero, who resides in the far East Side, was arrested on charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and evading arrest in a vehicle. He was released from jail July 14 on a total bond of $22,500 (including a $2,500 personal recognizance bond requiring only a signature for the "unauthorized use" case), according to El Paso County Jail records.

Beer burglar sought in Northeast break-in

A burglar is wanted for stealing 18-packs of beer after using a large rock to smash a glass front door and enter a Dollar General store in the Northeast.

The burglary occurred at 3:45 a.m. on June 25 at the Dollar General in Sunrise Village shopping center at 8500 Dyer St. The unsolved case is Crime Stoppers of El Paso's Crime of the Week.

A security camera image shows an unidentified masked burglar who stole packs of beer at 3:45 a.m. on June 25 at the Dollar General in Sunrise Village shopping center at 8500 Dyer St. in Northeast El Paso.
A security camera image shows an unidentified masked burglar who stole packs of beer at 3:45 a.m. on June 25 at the Dollar General in Sunrise Village shopping center at 8500 Dyer St. in Northeast El Paso.

The unidentified man stole at least two 18-packs of beer and dropped two other packs during the burglary. The burglar appears to be a Hispanic man, who used a blue shirt as a mask to hide his face. He wore a gray T-shirt, bluejeans and boots, Crime Stoppers said.

Investigators suspect that the man fled into the neighboring Villa Ciento Apartments next to the shopping center. Anyone with any information on the beer burglar or any other criminal activity may anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 566-8477 (TIPS) or leave a tip online at www.cselpaso.org.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso crime: Catholic church vandalized; beer burglar wanted