BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Charges have been filed against a man in connection with a series of business burglaries last year in south Bexar County.
Records show Mystkial Garcia-Alvear, 27, was already in jail in connection with a different string of burglaries when the new charges were filed.
The latest crimes he is accused of happened one night last September.
According to an arrest affidavit, Garcia-Alvear, along with Brion Shields, 39, and Joseph DeLeon, 32, broke into four businesses in the area near Loop 1604 and U.S. Highway 281 South.
The suspects are accused of stealing merchandise and cash from the businesses.
In some cases, they also took the entire ATMs and a safe, the affidavit states.
Hardip Singh owns one of the businesses that was targeted, Shady Oaks Groceries, but said the trio did more damage there than anything else.
“They cut the locks, and they broke the glass,” Singh said. “They tried to take out the ATM and the game machines, but they can’t do that.”
Singh said the suspects did make off with about $400 from the cash register and approximately $500 from another cash box.
Records shows Singh’s store was the first store that was hit last September.
The affidavit states the same suspects then broke into The Sugar Leaf Smoke Shop, Ruiz Market and Thelma Food Store.
In each case, the warrant states, they were able to enter the businesses by using a saw to cut the locks.
Shields and DeLeon were arrested previously in connection with this case.
Investigators used surveillance video and phone records to identify Garcia-Alvear and link him to this case.
All three suspects also face charges in a whole string of other burglaries.
“I mean, that’s sad. What can you do?” Singh said, in response to the idea of someone stealing from him.
Singh said one thing he has done is to upgrade the security measures at his business to try to keep criminals away.
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