AUSTIN, TEXAS — Austin police arrested 11 people April 8 in a one-day retail-theft enforcement operation concentrated in Mueller’s main shopping corridors near the H-E-B on East 51st Street and stores along Barbara Jordan Boulevard. "This operation was designed to assist in combating ongoing retail crime by providing rapid response to thefts in progress and taking appropriate enforcement action," said Austin Police Department spokesperson. Police said most arrests were made at the H-E-B at 1801 E. 51st St., a daily stop for neighborhood shoppers and a key anchor for nearby retailers.
Seven arrests were tied to the H-E-B location. Austin police and court records listed charges including state jail felony theft of property with previous convictions for Michael Durham, Angel Salgado, William Floyd, and Miguel Fragoso. Fragoso also faced a Class A misdemeanor resisting arrest, search or transport and had a theft warrant, and he remained jailed on a combined $11,000 bond. Other H-E-B cases included Chase McCowen, charged with Class A misdemeanor evading arrest or detention, Kendrick Robertson, cited for Class C theft by shoplifting, and Christine Mead, cited for Class B theft by shoplifting.
Along Barbara Jordan Boulevard, police made four more arrests across major storefronts serving Mueller and nearby Brentwood and Highland shoppers. At the Home Depot at 1200 Barbara Jordan Blvd., Adrian Amaya was arrested on a state jail felony theft of property with previous convictions charge and a Class A misdemeanor evading arrest or detention charge, with jail records indicating the evading charge was rejected by prosecutors. Police also noted Amaya was held on a $150,000 bond linked to a Caldwell County warrant for failure to appear on a third-degree felony continuous family violence charge. At the Bath and Body Works at 1201 Barbara Jordan Blvd., Orlando White and Ashley Wilson were arrested on state jail felony theft of property with previous convictions charges; White also was booked on a parole violation and remained jailed on a $3,000 bond, while Wilson had outstanding theft warrants in Williamson County and from APD. At Marshalls, also at 1201 Barbara Jordan Blvd., Michael Bilbo was arrested on a state jail felony theft of property with previous convictions charge, held on a $5,000 bond, and due in court April 23.
No injuries were reported in connection with the April 8 arrests, and the cases were centered on alleged property offenses rather than violence. The enforcement push also lands amid broader public-safety and service concerns. "(The community) certainly feel(s) it when they’re calling the police, and the police take hours to show up," said Lisa Davis, Chief of Police. Data tracked by Transparent.city showed Austin property-crime incidents were down 16.8% through late March compared with the same period in 2025, including steeper declines in shoplifting and vehicle break-ins. Still, neighborhood-level reporting by Mueller Today has documented recurring calls for shoplifting, fraud, vehicle burglaries and disturbances in Mueller, and earlier coverage this month detailed the same retail corridor operation (as previously reported in this previous report). Separate reporting by Mueller Today also described a January theft at Twin Liquors Mueller involving a cart of liquor taken without payment, part of a pattern retailers have described as disruptive and tied to rising prevention costs.
Police did not release a public case number in the arrest summary. Anyone with information about retail theft in the Mueller corridor can submit an anonymous tip to Capital Area Crime Stoppers or call 512-472-8477. For non-emergency concerns, residents can contact Austin Police Department by calling 3-1-1 within city limits or 512-974-2000 outside city limits.
