November 10th, 2009
San Marcos police holding public meetings on recent crime

SUBMITTED REPORT

The San Marcos Police Department will host four community meetings to discuss the recent crimes that have occurred in San Marcos, including three home invasions resulting in shootings since September.

The department will outline steps it is taking to “ensure that San Marcos continues to be one of the safest cities in which to live,” according to a written statement announcing the meetings. The public is asked for suggestions.

The meetings are scheduled:

• 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13. Solid Rock Church, 2500 Hunter Road
• 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17. Holland Street Church of Christ, 205 E. Holland Street
• 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21. Sinai Pentecostal Church, 208 Laredo Street
• 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. San Marcos Community Church, 2200 Hwy 123

A man who forced his way into a house on Oscar Smith Drive was shot by a resident of the home late the evening of Oct. 21. After  21-year-old Dennis Andrew Nefedov was released from the hospital, police charged him  with burglary of habituation with intent to commit another felony.

Less than a day earlier, late Oct. 20, police arrested two men they say forced their way into a home in the University Heights Apartments, 1610 N. Interstate 35. In an ensuing struggle, the intruders shot one of the residents who survived serious injuries after being transported to an Austin hospital. Michael Wilson, 23, and Justin Pickaree, 19, both of the San Antonio area, are charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and evading arrest.

On Sept. 3, two Luling teenagers were killed and a third seriously injured when they were shot by a resident of the Chestnut Street home they tried to rob. A fourth suspect, 17-year-old Frank Castro of Luling, was caught at the scene and charged with aggravated robbery.

For information about the meetings, call Police Chief Howard E. Williams at (512) 753-2110.