Corridor Weekly News Recap for the week of April 11

I’m Jirah Simpson, let’s dive into the news for the week of April 11th from the Innovation Corridor. 

 

On April 12, the Seguin Police Department reported the capture of the murder suspect, 20-year-old Draven Rene Reyes of Seguin. On April 4, SPD responded to a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers found an 18-year-old male and 18-year-old female with gunshot wounds.

 

The male was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The female, identified to be Maekalyn Ann Marie Smith, was pronounced deceased on the scene. Through the investigation, Detectives discovered Reyes, 21-year-old Christanio Soto, and 21-year-old Sahra Vega, drove by a park and Reyes fired multiple rounds at Smith and a male as they sat near the basketball court at Park West. 

 

An arrest warrant was obtained for Reyes for one count of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and one count of Murder. After several days of searching for the suspect, the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force apprehended Reyes. 

 

As of April 2, the Hays County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in the search for four suspects who were involved in burglary and vandalism. 

 

Four males wearing hoodies, and possibly masks, arrived at the Crosswinds Subdivision Pool area in Buda at approximately 12:09 a.m. and vandalized the area. If anyone has any information regarding this incident, the identity of the persons or more please go to our website for Hays County Sheriff’s Office contact information.

 

During the last San Marcos City Council meeting, councilmembers voted to rename the City Recreation Hall to the Pauline Espinosa Community Hall. 

 

Pauline Espinosa, as stated in the council resolution, was a life-long resident of San Marcos and is recognized as an “unsung heroine” for her community stewardship and many contributions: providing jobs, donating food to those in need, providing credit to individuals so they could feed their families, and purchasing produce from local farms. 

 

On Tuesday, April 5, the San Marcos City Council held a Work Session to discuss the Lobbying Ordinance, which has been in the drafting process since 2017. 

 

The ordinance would require the registration of lobbyists and periodic reporting of contacts made by lobbyists with elected City officials, City Board and Commission members and City Employees. 

 

Mayor Jane Hughson suggested that the Lobbying Ordinance should only require developers making rezoning requests to register as lobbyists. The ordinance will be reviewed by the Ethics Review Commission and then brought before council at a later date. 

 

The maintenance on Rio Vista Falls began in October 2021 and was expected to finish in March of 2022. Due to unexpected delays, the project is still ongoing and anticipated to be complete in May, according to the contractor’s estimate. 

 

Greg Schwarz, Civil Engineer for the City of San Marcos, said that acts of vandalism, high river flow, unexpected maintenance and leaks in the underground diversion pipes have contributed to delays in the project.

 

Hays County Commissioners Lon Shell and Debbie Ingalsbe held a press conference on April 12 to announce $5 million dollars was allocated towards the creation of a Public Defender’s Office. Shell said the need for the Office comes from a backload of cases, and will improve the Criminal Justice System in Hays County.

 

Due to dropping aquifer levels, the City of San Marcos will enter Stage 2 drought restrictions effective Sunday, April 17 at noon. Stage 2 drought rules place limits on the use of soaker hoses, drip irrigation, and using decorative water features. 

 

The Hays County Local Health Department has reported a low COVID-19 transmission rate, with 99 active cases and zero COVID-related fatalities in this weeks update. 

 

Thank you for tuning in to the Corridor News Weekly Recap, sponsored by La Cima. 

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