SAN ANTONIO – A man is in custody for allegedly stealing brass materials in the City Base area almost every day during the month of March, according to an arrest affidavit.
Carlos Garcia, 57, faces a charge of theft of material less than $20,000, records show. Police arrested him on Friday.
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In March, detectives from the San Antonio Police Department’s Human Exploitation Unit were notified of brass backflow preventers being cut off and stolen in the City Base area.
The affidavit said investigators noticed tire marks over the area where the brass backflow preventers were located. In some locations, detectives noticed the pipe had been cut with a power tool.
On March 4, detectives found a piece of a fog light left at the scene of one theft, which helped them narrow the suspect vehicle to a truck or SUV.
On March 11, an off-duty officer working at Brooks Development Authority spotted a blue Chevrolet Tahoe parked with its hazard lights on. Garcia was seen damaging a brass backflow preventer, causing water to flow from the pipe, according to the affidavit.
The officer attempted to stop Garcia, but he fled the scene.
On March 30, detectives were investigating another theft in the same area when an off-duty officer spotted Garcia’s vehicle. The officer attempted to stop him, but Garcia fled.
Authorities ran the license plate and obtained a Texas identification photograph, which matched Garcia as the driver.
Detectives located multiple transactions showing Garcia selling brass cut-off valves at a local salvage yard, with records dating back to Feb. 27 through April 1, the affidavit said.
The salvage yard confirmed Garcia had sold brass at that location.
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