Thread: Home invasion suspect arrested for beating 64 year old woman

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Home invasion suspect arrested

July 29, 2006 01:06 PM PDT



ANNAVILLE - Corpus Christi police have arrested one of the men suspected of robbing and beating a 64-year-old Annaville woman. Rigoberto Soliz, 22, was taken into custody Thursday afternoon at a restaurant on Leopard Street where police say he was an employee.

Soliz, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, is one of two men suspected of breaking into the woman's home in the Arlington Heights subdivision, beating her, assaulting her, and then leaving her tied to a bed, police said.

He remains jailed in Nueces County on charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle, and later on a burglary with the intent to commit a felony charge, Commander Mike Walsh said. A judge has set his bond at $100,000.

Officials said Soliz has not been cooperative with their investigation.

The victim remains hospitalized, but is improving, police said. Concerned neighbors have been following her progress through an online blog, which updates her condition.

Friday night during a town hall meeting at Tuloso Midway Middle School, police also said that they believe Soliz was involved in another home invasion two weeks ago. Blood and fingerprint evidence at both scenes points to Soliz, police said.

That family in the first home invasion spoke out exclusively to 6 News Friday night for the first time about their frightening ordeal.

Earlier this month, Rigoberto Soliz allegedly managed to break through the back screen door on the home of Collen and Helen Reeves. He got into the patio of the home where he saw the elderly couple sitting inside the house through a window. Then he made his next bold move. He shattered the glass of the patio door giving the Reeves family the scare of their lives.

Collen and Helen Reeves were watching TV when they heard a terrible noise coming from their back yard.

"The racket was terrible," said Helen Reeves.

"Bam...Bam...Bam...that loud or louder," said Collen, describing the intense noise. The glass flew into the house.

"I said I'll run and go get the gun," Helen said. The Reeves were face to face with Rigoberto Soliz.

Collen said, "He [Soliz] came running around this corner. He was in the door and I looked at him and said get the heck out of here...you sweet old boy...He broke this door and when I saw him he was right here." Soliz ran from the home. "I'm sure he thought the remote in my hand was a gun."

Soliz left behind a bloody mess and a trail of blood for a half mile. Two weeks later investigators said Soliz invaded another home down the road and did the unthinkable to the 64-year-old woman on Wilkins Drive.

"Thank goodness we didn't get involved with it. The poor lady down the street did... Needless to say, it scared the living stew out of us," Collen said.

Both Collen and Helen Reeves said they believe the suspect intended to harm them. After seeing a mug shot, neither could positively identify Soliz as the individual who attempted to rob them, but police said, evidence links Soliz to both crimes.

Since then, the Reeves have repaired the window and the mess is cleaned up. The couple, now like many other residents in the neighborhood, will have the extra security knowing that Soliz is behind bars.

Soliz, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, is one of two men suspected of breaking into the woman's home in the Arlington Heights subdivision, beating her, assaulting her, and then leaving her tied to a bed, police said.

Since beating is assault, I assume the assault they're talking about is rape since she was left tied to the bed.

The couple, now like many other residents in the neighborhood, will have the extra security knowing that Soliz is behind bars.

These poor people shouldn't get a false sense of security because this one has been jailed. There are plenty more who will do the same thing or worse if given half a chance.

http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5216758

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Annaville residents clean up neighborhood

July 31, 2006 04:21 PM PDT



ANNAVILLE - Annaville residents are working to make their neighborhood safer, after an elderly woman is beaten in her home just down the block. Residents in the Arlington Heights subdivision said they feel a little safer after one of two of the suspects were arrested Friday, but they aren't letting their guards down. 6 News talked with a couple of residents who are cleaning up to keep the criminals out.

"We're trying to clear the fence line, to keep people from hiding," said Elder Black. He is clearing the tall weeds and brush from behind his neighbors' yards. He said it's a pain staking job, that's needed to make the neighborhood safer.

Elder has cleared a lot of the area behind the victims home, who lives just two houses down, he says the weeds were as high as the fence here, a perfect hiding place for the suspects. But there's still a lot of work to do. Black said police officers have come out to take pictures, and will be contacting the city to get the area cleaned up.

"I think that's a good idea, I keep my back fence line mowed and weed eat it as well, and I'm having CP&L come out on Monday to activate my security light, so hopefully keep it lighted back there, and less of a chance for someone to hide back there," said Kellie Rodriguez.

Rodriguez said she's concerned about her daughters' safety, seven-year-old McKenzie and 12-year-old Chelsea who often play outside or visit friends in the neighborhood. She now hopes other neighbors will lend a hand with the clean up.

"All the other neighbors should do it as, just follow by example and keep it clean," Rodriguez said.

"It's something that needs to be done because you're not going to stop the burglaries and that type of thing, but you can slow it down and that's what we're intending to do," Black said.

6 News has learned that the suspect, 22-year old Rigoberto Soliz worked at a Mexican restaurant just a few blocks from the victims home. The manager at the Casa Del Sol Mexican Restaurant on Leopard Street said she was shocked to learn that Soliz who police said is an undocumented immigrant was a suspect in the case.

She tells us that Soliz was fired after he failed to show up for work on Monday and Tuesday. The manager said Soliz was arrested outside the restaurant Thursday night, after going by to pick up his check.


http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5221293

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Home invasions underscore Annaville National Night Out

Aug 2, 2006 03:41 PM PDT



ANNAVILLE - Annaville residents are gearing up for Tuesday's National Night Out. The annual event comes just a week after a 64-year-old woman was severely beaten and tied up at her home on Wilkins Drive. The woman remains hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit at a local hospital.

The main suspect, 22-year-old Rigoberto Soliz, will make his first court appearance Tuesday morning, police said since his arrest last Thursday. He has refused to give them the name of his accomplice.

6 News talked with some of the victim's neighbors Monday who said this year's National Night Out will be different. Signs that say "Neighbors on Watch" have been up for years, but now there are more eyes watching than ever before. The neighborhood is quiet and close knit, still shocked after two home invasions.

But neighbors in Arlington Heights have come together to fight back against crime, planning a big National Night Out Ice Cream Social. And if Friday's town hall meeting is any indication, Tuesday's gathering will be a success.

"I grew up in this area," Wilkins Drive resident, Rex Taylor, said. "I've been out here since 1969, and I tell you what, there's some good people here."

Since last week's tragedy, Taylor said he has seen progress. More police on patrol, extra security measures, the city mowing tall grass, and question after question after question surfaced at the town hall meeting. All eyes are now noticing strangers.

"This was a shock to the whole community around here," Taylor said, "and I just couldn't believe what happened. I think we're going to be a lot closer now after this."

The neighborhood has been gathering on National Night Out for several years. It's always well attended, but come 7 p.m. Tuesday, even more are expected, including a Corpus Christi police officer, as this tragedy brings everyone closer.



http://www.caller.com/ccct/local_news/a ... 42,00.html

Second assault suspect sought
First man arrested assigned a court-appointed attorney

By david kassabian Caller-Times
August 2, 2006


A man accused in an arrest warrant of sexually assaulting and robbing a 64-year-old Annaville woman in her home July 24 was assigned a court-appointed attorney Tuesday in District Court.

Authorities still are looking for a second suspect in the incident, which left the woman tied to her bed with property scattered across neighbor's yards and her car missing, police said Tuesday. Rigoberto Soliz, a 22-year-old Mexican citizen also known as Eugenio Sandoval, was arrested Thursday on a warrant for charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle.

"Hopefully they'll arrest the other people involved in this case," said James Lawrence, Soliz's court-appointed attorney, when asked what comes next.

Police Capt. John Houston said the woman told police two men broke into her home and sexually assaulted her. According to the arrest warrant, Soliz forced entry into the woman's home in the 9700 block of Wilkins Drive around midnight or 1 a.m. She was not discovered until 17 hours later.

"It's not over yet," Houston said. "We need to get this guy in jail."

Houston did not comment about the sexual assault alleged in the affidavit or details about the woman's injuries. She was listed in stable condition Tuesday at Christus Spohn Hospital Memorial.

Police Chief Bryan Smith said Tuesday that the department did not initially say the case was being handled as a possible sexual assault because of a federal privacy act that restricts the release of personal information in juvenile and sex-crime cases. Disclosing that the case involved a potential sexual assault without releasing the woman's name would not have violated the act, he said.

However, Smith added that releasing the information, even without her name, would have violated the "spirit of the act" because of intense media coverage and the ability of people to ascertain the woman's identity.

Soliz is suspected by police of being involved in a series of lawn-equipment thefts in the neighborhood dating to June, Houston said.

Police detained three people the day after the attack who were in possession of the woman's car with her TV and DVD player in the trunk, the warrant said.

One man questioned by police, Corpus Christi resident Harry Flores, said Soliz let him borrow the car in exchange for a small amount of crack, according to the warrant and Houston. The three people were questioned and have not been charged in the assault but could face charges by the district attorney, Houston said. Flores was not able to be contacted Tuesday.

Soliz, who said in court through a translator that he is from the Mexican state of Tabasco, is considered a substantial flight risk and remained in the Nueces County Jail on Tuesday on a $100,000 bond.

Contact David Kassabian at 886-3778 or HYPERLINK mailto:kassabiand@caller.com kassabiand@caller.com

The neighborhood has been gathering on National Night Out for several years. It's always well attended, but come 7 p.m. Tuesday, even more are expected, including a Corpus Christi police officer, as this tragedy brings everyone closer.
[quote:2tzesf6f]
Wonder how many burglaries there'll be that evening with the citizens at the ice cream social?

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