Lytle Alerts
Lytle Police Chief's Weekly Report - August 17, 2026
Monday, August 17, 2026
Greetings - We have uploaded the weekly report to our website at www.lytletx.org/police
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Current Weekly Report.” If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached at our office number (830-709-0277) or by email at richard.priest@lytletx.org.
Greetings from the Lytle Police Department! For the week ending Sunday, August 16, 2026, … Officers handled 51 calls for service and conducted 51 traffic stops. Of those 51 stops, 18 resulted in citations, and 33 were warnings.
There were two property crimes reported last week. #1 – A Mesquite Street resident reported that his Stihl chainsaw was stolen from his backyard. The theft occurred sometime in the past two weeks; the item was valued at $360. #2 – A resident of the Pecan Grove Apartments (14900 Block of Main Street) reported that his 2004 Ford F250 was stolen from the parking lot. He had the keys, and there was no sign of forced entry. The truck was recovered in Atascosa County the next day; it was abandoned on Wheeler Road. Looks like somebody was going to do some joyriding; maybe when they realized how much gas it took to keep that big truck on the road, and said, “to heck with this,” and dumped it.
Your officers made three arrests last week. #1 – A traffic stop on Railroad St. resulted in the arrest of a 41-year-old male for possession of a controlled substance. He was booked into the Atascosa County Jail. A traffic stop on Main Street for speeding resulted in the arrest of a 42-year-old male for violating a protective order. The vehicle contained two occupants who were protected due to prior family violence. The male was booked into the Atascosa County Jail. #3 – A traffic stop on Live Oak Street at Cottage Street resulted in the arrest of a 29-year-old male for D.W.I. and unlawfully carrying a weapon. He was booked into the Atascosa County Jail.
In other news … Ofc. Roger Garcia has resigned as a full-time officer. He will be remaining on staff as a Reserve Officer. He accepted a full-time firefighter position with Medina County E.S.D. #1. I can’t blame him a bit. We can’t compete with the pay and benefits, and especially the schedule. MCESD#1, like most fire departments, is now working 48 hours on and 96 hours off. He will remain the Fire Chief at Lytle Fire & Rescue.
We received a call about a male walking his dog in the middle of the night and carrying what appears to be an AR-15 rifle. While I understand situations like this raise concerns, in most circumstances it is perfectly legal. Much like the “permitless” or constitutional “open” carry of handguns that is now legal in Texas. Our officers will work to ensure the safety of our community, but we must act within the boundaries of our state law and the U.S. Constitution. To put it in simple terms … officers can’t just stop and detain someone for exercising their right unless other factors create reasonable suspicion or probable cause that a crime has occurred. For example, there is a difference in carrying a rifle slung over your shoulder or carrying it shouldered and pointed downrange. Pointing it may “cause alarm” and require further investigation. Disclaimer: I am not an attorney; I do live across the street from one, though.
The first week of school is over! The first day was a real mess; it always is. I spent a few hours directing traffic for a few days when school let out. Traffic was especially bad around the primary, since there is still construction going on. If I could ask a favor … please don’t block the road or intersections. Just stopping and standing in the roadway really causes a mess and shuts down the flow of traffic. Also, keep in mind that people need to have access to their residences and businesses, so please don’t block driveways.
I graduated from Lytle High School in 1988; on a side note, it was the high point of my formal education. A lot has changed since then. There are a lot more students, teachers and staff. The campus footprint has expanded, but all in the same general area and adjacent to each other. What hasn't changed? The roads around the schools- the same city streets and same state roads I used back in 1988 remain unchanged. FM 2790 North hasn’t had shoulders on it in the last 38 years! But I believe we will finally get those shoulders as part of the work TXDOT has going on right now. I am not saying we can change the roads, and I don’t have a solution … I am just complaining.
-Richey
Greetings - We have uploaded the weekly report to our website at www.lytletx.org/police
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Current Weekly Report.” If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached at our office number (830-709-0277) or by email at richard.priest@lytletx.org.
Greetings from the Lytle Police Department! For the week ending Sunday, August 16, 2026, … Officers handled 51 calls for service and conducted 51 traffic stops. Of those 51 stops, 18 resulted in citations, and 33 were warnings.
There were two property crimes reported last week. #1 – A Mesquite Street resident reported that his Stihl chainsaw was stolen from his backyard. The theft occurred sometime in the past two weeks; the item was valued at $360. #2 – A resident of the Pecan Grove Apartments (14900 Block of Main Street) reported that his 2004 Ford F250 was stolen from the parking lot. He had the keys, and there was no sign of forced entry. The truck was recovered in Atascosa County the next day; it was abandoned on Wheeler Road. Looks like somebody was going to do some joyriding; maybe when they realized how much gas it took to keep that big truck on the road, and said, “to heck with this,” and dumped it.
Your officers made three arrests last week. #1 – A traffic stop on Railroad St. resulted in the arrest of a 41-year-old male for possession of a controlled substance. He was booked into the Atascosa County Jail. A traffic stop on Main Street for speeding resulted in the arrest of a 42-year-old male for violating a protective order. The vehicle contained two occupants who were protected due to prior family violence. The male was booked into the Atascosa County Jail. #3 – A traffic stop on Live Oak Street at Cottage Street resulted in the arrest of a 29-year-old male for D.W.I. and unlawfully carrying a weapon. He was booked into the Atascosa County Jail.
In other news … Ofc. Roger Garcia has resigned as a full-time officer. He will be remaining on staff as a Reserve Officer. He accepted a full-time firefighter position with Medina County E.S.D. #1. I can’t blame him a bit. We can’t compete with the pay and benefits, and especially the schedule. MCESD#1, like most fire departments, is now working 48 hours on and 96 hours off. He will remain the Fire Chief at Lytle Fire & Rescue.
We received a call about a male walking his dog in the middle of the night and carrying what appears to be an AR-15 rifle. While I understand situations like this raise concerns, in most circumstances it is perfectly legal. Much like the “permitless” or constitutional “open” carry of handguns that is now legal in Texas. Our officers will work to ensure the safety of our community, but we must act within the boundaries of our state law and the U.S. Constitution. To put it in simple terms … officers can’t just stop and detain someone for exercising their right unless other factors create reasonable suspicion or probable cause that a crime has occurred. For example, there is a difference in carrying a rifle slung over your shoulder or carrying it shouldered and pointed downrange. Pointing it may “cause alarm” and require further investigation. Disclaimer: I am not an attorney; I do live across the street from one, though.
The first week of school is over! The first day was a real mess; it always is. I spent a few hours directing traffic for a few days when school let out. Traffic was especially bad around the primary, since there is still construction going on. If I could ask a favor … please don’t block the road or intersections. Just stopping and standing in the roadway really causes a mess and shuts down the flow of traffic. Also, keep in mind that people need to have access to their residences and businesses, so please don’t block driveways.
I graduated from Lytle High School in 1988; on a side note, it was the high point of my formal education. A lot has changed since then. There are a lot more students, teachers and staff. The campus footprint has expanded, but all in the same general area and adjacent to each other. What hasn't changed? The roads around the schools- the same city streets and same state roads I used back in 1988 remain unchanged. FM 2790 North hasn’t had shoulders on it in the last 38 years! But I believe we will finally get those shoulders as part of the work TXDOT has going on right now. I am not saying we can change the roads, and I don’t have a solution … I am just complaining.
-Richey