Police arrest suspect after return from USMC training
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Lucas G. Rosas
OTHER SUSPECTS
David Oliva, 19, and Justin Greg Gutierrez, 18, of Victoria were also arrested on charges of criminal mischief of between $20,000 and $100,000 earlier this year. Lucas Rosas, 19, was arrested Saturday when he returned from the Marine ...
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OTHER SUSPECTS
David Oliva, 19, and Justin Greg Gutierrez, 18, of Victoria were also arrested on charges of criminal mischief of between $20,000 and $100,000 earlier this year. Lucas Rosas, 19, was arrested Saturday when he returned from the Marine Corps basic training.
All three are accused of shooting more than 100 car windows with BB guns and causing more than $50,000 in damages.
A vandalism suspect reportedly told police he busted car windows this summer as marksmanship practice for the U.S. Marine Corps.
Lucas Guadalupe Rosas, 19, completed basic training, but when he flew into the San Antonio International Airport on leave Saturday, he was arrested on a warrant charging him with felony criminal mischief.
Rosas is one of three teens accused in a local June vandalism spree that caused more than $50,000 in damage, Police Chief Bruce Ure said. The men are accused of shooting out more than 100 car windows with BB guns.
"Immediately, we identified Rosas as a suspect," Ure said. "We even interviewed him. He told investigators he was practicing his marksmanship because he was getting ready to go into the Marine Corps."
When reached by phone, Rosas' mother said she did not wish to comment.
Police were unable to get a warrant for Rosas' arrest before he left for basic training because officers needed to interview more than 100 victims before filing felony charges, Ure said. But investigators told Marine recruiters they were preparing a case against Rosas.
Rosas was accepted for basic training. Meanwhile, police got a warrant for his arrest. They learned from the Marine Corps that Rosas would be flying into the San Antonio International Airport on leave Saturday.
Police decided to meet Rosas on the plane so he couldn't get away, Ure said.
"We were concerned he would be wearing a Marine Corps uniform," Ure said. "If he was wearing the uniform, we were going to have him change. That was really, really important to us."
Representatives from the Marine Corps could not be reached Monday for comment.
Arresting Rosas was important, Ure said, because he caused a lot of damage.
"He needs to be held accountable for the damage he did in Victoria," Ure said.
Comments
i dont personally know this young man but he had an interest in my daughter when he worked at HEbplus.He would walk to our house just to talk to her.He seemed like a good kid.Then my daughter stated staying away from him and wouldnt go into HEB for awhile.When I asked what was going on..she just said that she didnt have the same feelings for him and it was better not to talk to him.I heard my daughter on the phone last night about this article and decided to look it up and believe me..it was a shock and when I told my husband he was shocked also.So looks can be decieving and thank god my daughter followed her gut instict!
November 18, 2009 at 2:53 p.m.I'm sure this kid was under the influence of alcohol when he did the damage! that's a very powerful drug!
November 18, 2009 at 12:09 p.m.I want to be the first in line for my part of the restitution.
And he needs more pratice!!
He put a 1/2 dime size dent in my trunk deck completely missing my back glass. At a distance of about 20'.
I personally don't think he was the only one, my neighbors on both sides of me had glasses broke and one had two broke on different cars. So at least four shots were fired within 200 feet!! Maybe he was going real slow!
November 18, 2009 at 11:32 a.m.Let's see. He's home on leave for 2 weeks. When his absence exceeds 2 weeks, he could be UA from MCT for how long? Go back to Camp Pen for MCT after being UA for who knows how long, then to his school (which MOS?), then his assignment in the fleet, all that time with this lurking over his head? Not a great way to start off. My hope is that USMC commands make him feel the sting until he wakes up. Mess Duty, confinement to barracks, range cleanup picking up brass. They have more games than Milton-Bradley if they so choose. I wonder if we will hear of this punk's disposition once all the smoke clears.
November 18, 2009 at 10:13 a.m.Semper Fi fellows.
Bubblehead said,Those who serve in our military should be of the highest caliber (and for the most part ARE)
November 17, 2009 at 7:41 p.m.Don't forget Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.
Judges used to give the convicted the option to serve jail time or enlist into the military, it straightened a lot of people out. I think it would be better for him than jail,besides,if his parents have money it will, "go away anyhow".
JAM!
November 17, 2009 at 6:06 p.m.This is a black eye for the USMC and specially the recruiters. I will not get into the specifics of what the recruiter knew or did not, it was wrong for this guy to enlist when they knew about his background. The fact is, he is a criminal. The Armed Forces do not want criminals. Although people think that the Armed Forces should be considered a reformatory school, I would propose to you this. Would you want your son or daugther serving with this immature guy? Would this guy endanger or compromise the well being of his fellow service members? It is easy to say let him serve but reality is that most people that say this, do not have a close family member serving. Let this guy stay here and pay his debt to society and suffer the consequences like anybody else would do.
November 17, 2009 at 3:35 p.m.He shames the uniform & the ideals of the Marines & all the men before him that have worn ANY service uniform & served their country.
November 17, 2009 at 1:14 p.m.As a vandalism victim, I'm with the cops on this one. Put this boy on the chain gang and and give him a shovel do shoulder arms with.
November 17, 2009 at 1:06 p.m.I am a former Marine and even though he may have disgraced the Marine Corps, everyone deserves a second chance and could turn his life around. I saw many of boys turn to men in the Marines.
He should be allowed to stay in the Marine Corps and take $200 out of his paycheck each month until he pays every person back for the damage that he has caused.
We have already put him through boot camp. Don't waste his training.
November 17, 2009 at 12:54 p.m.What this kid did was extremely wrong! But honestly, what do we as society gain by jailing this dude? Is he going to ever have enough money to re-pay these folks? The answer is no. Why not let him stay in the Marine Corps, change his life, serve honorably for the next 4 years, and prove to society that he is changed? Possibly a deployment is in his future. I beleive in justice and punishment just as much as the next guy, but at this point what do we gain, by having him kicked out of the Marines? A tax burden? Does he lose a possible career in the Marines and now he can't get a job, because he has been dishonorably discharged? I don't know the right answer, but I think he may be worthy of a probation period, a fine and maybe wages from the Marine Corps being garnished to pay the fines, and possibly a stipulation that he stay in the Marine Corps, serve honorably, and then and only then should he be cleared. Going to Marine Corps Boot Camp is a life changing event. It certainly has a bigger effect on an individual than sitting in the VCSO for 30 days, and definetely tends to reform some of the most harden individuals. If the Marine Corps doesn't break your terrible ways, then nothing will, especially the county jail.
I just think this whole situation stinks. It's very bad for the victims of this stupidity, bad for this kid, and certainly bad for the Marine Corps. I just hope this gets taken care of of fairly and quickly for everyone involved.
November 17, 2009 at 12:09 p.m.Jones - Where did you serve?
November 17, 2009 at 11:01 a.m.what a disgrace to the uniform !
let him stay in the service, military prison is fitting for him.
hopefully they make him repay some of those victims.
November 17, 2009 at 10:59 a.m.Considering my husband is former Navy and my friends are former and present Service Men and Women, this young man needs a good old fashioned form of justice brought down on him. To disgrace any branch of the Military is disgusting. These men and women give up a lot to protect our families, our freedom, and our lives. To don a uniform and pull so stunt like this is beyond me. His excuse did not take much effort to come up with. Practicing, my foot. He needs to call a spade a spade and admit he was just being a child, not a MARINE a child, and what to children get PUNISHED plain and simple. My question is where were his parents when he was growing up that led him to believe that in “adulthood” he could do these things.
November 17, 2009 at 10:19 a.m.Jones..."This punk is a disgrace to the Uniform and to the Marine Corps."
Well, Jones, I don't think he'll have to worry about being deployed to Afghanistan. Marksmanship practice! Geeze.
I think you're right about the recruiter making his quota. I know a former Marine who did a recruiter tour in Houston. There was a news story about a recruit from the area who was killed in pujil stick training during boot camp and Jim had a tough time making HIS quota after that story broke. He used to joke about going out with a sap and slapping guys upside the head and when they woke up, they were Marines.
November 17, 2009 at 10:16 a.m.I say let him stay in the USMC....they will hopefully make a man out of him instead of another street thug who we have to support in jail. At the age of 19 this guy probably was bored and vandalized as so many of the bored young kids of today do. At least with him in the USMC he will have LOTS TO DO instead of mischief. He will not have time to get with his friends for a night of vandalism. I say let the USMC handle him with EXTA DUTIES that will make him appreciate his bed at night.
November 17, 2009 at 10:12 a.m.this guys sounds like he was Cub Scout material not Marine Corp! Young people have fantasies about military life, but the reality is never what you thought!
November 17, 2009 at 8:59 a.m.he is a disgrace to the Marines I say kick his butt out of the service!
November 17, 2009 at 8:53 a.m." Let him continue his duty to the US"
That's right, we need all the people we can get with an utter disregard for private property, and a desire to inflict wanton destruction on unsuspecting private citizens.
Hell, I say give him a promotion!
November 17, 2009 at 8:36 a.m.As a former Marine, and recruiter's assistant for Victoria, I can tell you that the Marines (at least when I was in) were at the time the only branch that would take folks with prior convictions. All of the other branches would not. I am not sure what the policy is now for the USMC. I guess the Corps was looking at it like why have these folks on the streets of our country when you can have them in Iraq's streets....
November 17, 2009 at 8:34 a.m.America's finest!
November 17, 2009 at 8:33 a.m.Easy tnt88...he will be dealt with first through the county courts. Then when they are down with him he will be released back to the government and they will most likly bring down their own form of punishment. Whether the military gives him punishment for this crime im not sure but they will def. give him punishment for being arrrested and away from his POD(post of duty). At least that is the way they did it back in 98-2001 when I was married to my husband that was in the Marines.
November 17, 2009 at 8:16 a.m.The boy is now the property of the U.S. government. How will that effect the case?
November 17, 2009 at 6:55 a.m.My neice was one of the victims of this crime! She is a young college student who has to work hard for everything that she has! And this "suspect" and his cohorts just thought shooting out her car windows would be funny! Although she had full coverage on her vehicle, she was still out the money she had to pay for the deductible! And she was only ONE of 100!
Glad you boys had a good time with this! So glad that you improved your marksmanship! Perhaps you won't get kicked out of the military, but continue to serve, so that your pay can be docked and you pay for your destruction!
November 17, 2009 at 6:20 a.m.At the risk of sounding repetitive, nobody ever said that crooks are smart.
November 17, 2009 at 5:21 a.m.It sounds like a weak excuse that he was practicing his marksmanship skills by shooting out car windows; there are numerous non-destructive items he could have used.
I believe he is trying to find a sympatric excuse when there is no legitimate excuse.
Sounds like a lot of slip ups here to me. The Marine Corps recruit training command at San Diego or Parris Island should have been contacted; command probably would have put the recruit in a training hold until it could be determined if he still met the standards for a Marine Corps recruit.
November 16, 2009 at 11 p.m.It seemed he used the Marine Corp to go into hiding, I have doubts that he ever intended to be a Marine. I hope he turns his life around, anyone can cause damage, you don't have to have a heart for that, but turn your life around and do good, now that shows heart.
November 16, 2009 at 10:08 p.m.I stand corrected! Good job, VPD!
November 16, 2009 at 10:05 p.m.Victoriaconcernedcitizen,
Read the story, it says the recruiter was notified that the recruit was under investigation.
November 16, 2009 at 9:33 p.m.Okay, so if he was interviewed back in the summer and a crack investigator learned that this person was planning to go away to the Marines....why didn't these crack investigators call the local recruiter then? I bet he would have been kept here to satisfy these charges AND THEN evaluated for the military instead of wasting our tax dollars to train him.
November 16, 2009 at 8:47 p.m.Hate to loose a marine to some stupid childish crimes. I understand that he did a lot of damage $$$, so hit him where it hurts! In his back pocket. Let him continue his duty to the US and have him pay restitution to the persons that he violated/vandilized.
November 16, 2009 at 8:39 p.m.He has demonstrated acts that should not even have let him enter the Marine Corp but that is the recruiters fault. Knowing that he was a active suspect they should of have made him wait until the investigation was complete to let him go and finish training. He is in my opinion a disgrace to the uniform and should be kicked out of the Corp. UHHHH RAAAHHHH!!!
November 16, 2009 at 8:13 p.m.Did he he get his Marksmanship Badge during his weapons qualification course at basic training? Just imagine what he might have done with a M 16, M203 grenade launcher, or a 50 cal sniper rifle.
November 16, 2009 at 7:54 p.m.Shave the shame carrot!!
November 16, 2009 at 7:20 p.m.How sad that this boy aspired to be a US Marine and protect his country yet was willing to reak havoc in his own back yard. How does he reconcile these two sets of ideas.