AUSTIN, TEXAS — Austin police arrested 11 people in the Mueller area on April 8 during a one-day “shoplifting blitz” that concentrated on the H-E-B at 1801 E. 51st St. and extended to big-box and specialty retailers along Barbara Jordan Boulevard. The Austin Police Department said the operation was “designed to assist in combating ongoing retail crime by providing rapid response to thefts in progress and taking appropriate enforcement action,” according to Fox 7 Austin. Seven arrests occurred at the H-E-B grocery anchor, with additional arrests reported at Home Depot, Bath & Body Works and Marshalls on Barbara Jordan Boulevard, underscoring how visible retail-theft enforcement has become in Mueller’s high-foot-traffic shopping corridors.
At H-E-B, three people — 55-year-old Michael Durham, 39-year-old Angel Salgado and 54-year-old William Floyd — were charged with state-jail felony theft of property with previous convictions, while 27-year-old Miguel Fragoso was charged with the same felony theft count plus resisting arrest, search or transport, a Class A misdemeanor, with jail records listing a collective $11,000 bond. Durham also faced a separate possession case filed by the University of Texas Police Department, with an April 21 court setting; Salgado and Floyd were set for April 23. Two other H-E-B arrests were citations: 55-year-old Kendrick Robertson received a Class C theft-by-shoplifting citation and 62-year-old Christine Mead received a Class B theft-by-shoplifting citation; 34-year-old Chase McCowen was charged with evading arrest or detention, a Class A misdemeanor.
On Barbara Jordan Boulevard, 23-year-old Adrian Amaya was arrested at Home Depot, 1200 Barbara Jordan Blvd., and charged with state-jail felony theft of property with previous convictions and evading arrest or detention, a Class A misdemeanor; jail records also showed a $150,000 bond tied to a Caldwell County failure-to-appear warrant on a third-degree felony continuous family violence charge. At Bath & Body Works, 1201 Barbara Jordan Blvd., 61-year-old Orlando White was charged with state-jail felony theft of property with previous convictions and booked on a parole violation, with a $3,000 bond and a May 12 court date; 31-year-old Ashley Wilson was arrested on a state-jail felony theft count with outstanding theft warrants listed in Williamson County and by APD, with an April 24 setting. At Marshalls, 1201 Barbara Jordan Blvd., 51-year-old Michael Bilbo was charged with state-jail felony theft of property with previous convictions, with bond set at $5,000 and a court date listed for April 23.
The blitz follows a pattern in Mueller where police logs frequently reflect shoplifting and fraud in busy commercial corridors and vehicle-related crimes in adjacent parking areas, according to Mueller Today. “Each of those cases represent a person whose life was taken and a family left searching for justice. To solve every single one of those cases is not only rare, it is exceptional.” said Lisa Davis, Police Chief. Local merchants have also argued that repeat theft forces added security costs and changes everyday shopping routines; “We have to change the policy … to have an officer for every type of crime.” said Linh Tu. “We need more cops,” said Linh Tu. Anyone with information related to thefts in the area can submit tips anonymously through Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477.
