Category: San Antonio News

A former employee of Boy Scouts of America – Alamo Area Council is facing child pornography charges after being arrested last week, Bexar County court records show.

Christopher Mendoza was arrested Dec. 9 and is charged with possession of child pornography and possession with intent to promote child pornography.

Alamo Area Council officials confirmed Tuesday that Mendoza held a position in their outdoor programming department.

Officials say he was terminated after they found out he was arrested.

Mendoza had worked for the Alamo Area Council since 2014, holding various positions during his employment, officials said.

The council says it is not aware that any of Mendoza’s actions involved any scouting children.

Michael De Los Santos, Scout Executive, and CEO of the Alamo Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, released the following statement regarding Mendoza’s arrest.

“The actions alleged to have been committed by Christopher Mendoza are reprehensible and opposed to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) stands. Upon learning of these allegations and his arrest, Mr. Mendoza’s employment with Alamo Area Council was terminated. We have added Mr. Mendoza to the BSA’s Volunteer Screening Database which will prevent him from any future participation or involvement in Scouting.”

Santos said that the Boy Scouts of America has some of the “strongest protection policies’ of any youth organization in the country.

“Our barriers to abuse include a thorough screening process for adult leaders and employees, which include criminal background checks; mandatory youth protection training for all volunteers and employees; a leadership policy that requires at least two youth-protection trained adults be present with youth at all times during Scouting activities and bans any one-on-one situations where adults would have any interaction alone with children — either in person, online, or via phone or text; a ban on the use of recording devices/cell phones near bathrooms and shower houses; and the prompt mandatory reporting of any allegation or suspicion of abuse to law enforcement,” Santos said.

Mendoza was being held at the Bexar County Jail but has since been released on bond, records show.

We’re hitting the holiday rush!

The United States Postal Service is trying to make sure the Grinch doesn’t steal Christmas this year and that packages arrive on time.

It’s the most wonderful and busiest time of the year for USPS. Their team of elves took on the task of sorting 1.1 billion packages during the holidays.

After delays last year, the postal service made some changes.

“The Postal Service leased 46 of these facilities throughout the country to prevent the delays and all that we had last Christmas season,” Tim Keating, the manager of in-plant support for the postal service said.

KSAT got a tour of one of these package support annex facilities located on IH-10 E in Converse.

On top of opening this space, USPS also invested in 112 additional pieces of equipment, three are here in San Antonio.

“Our single induction parcels order. It’s capable of doing three thousand pieces an hour and has 200 separations that we sought into for our delivery area,” Keating explained.

It’s no sleigh and a magical gaggle of reindeer, but the postmaster general was determined to prevent package delays.

Other machines helping are the flexible rover system which are 12 robotic carts that optimize employee effort, and the linear integrated spider, a large parcel sorting conveyer system.

“It’s a learning curve for all of the employees out here because the majority of the employees out here work Christmas hires,” Keating said.

To help with the holiday rush, 418 employees were hired and 200 pre-career employees were shifted to assist as well.

“The whole Postal Service proved that we were ready for this peak season and we’re being good now,” Keating said.

If you’re hoping to send gifts to your loved ones, there are some important dates to remember. Express mail needs to be sent by the 16th and USPS Retail Ground mail needs to be sent by the 15th in order to get there by Christmas.

Design work is underway on a portion of the massive project to reshape I-35 on the Northeast side, with construction expected to begin in mid-2022.

The Transportation Policy Board of the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization heard an update about the project during its meeting on Monday.

“This is a very important project to the San Antonio community, the surrounding communities and the region,” Daniel Worden, the project’s manager, told officials.

The Texas Department of Transportation is promising that the I-35 Northeast Express project will ease congestion in the fast-growing corridor. Work will begin on the central portion of the project first from Loop 410 to FM 3009. The plans involve adding three elevated lanes in both directions on the roadway: two regular lanes and one high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane.

The elevated express lanes are designed to keep regional traffic moving through the area. Local traffic would utilize the main lanes. The project would slash travel times in the corridor once completed, according to TxDOT.

For instance, in the section from Loop 410 to FM 1518, travel times would go down from 24 minutes currently to 15 minutes with the new main lane configuration and nine minutes with the planned express lanes.

Some officials had questions about the limited access points for the express lanes and what that would mean for emergency vehicles.

“There are a lot of accidents on I-35, both on the north and south, and at 1604. Minutes matter for emergency vehicles and being able to get to those people when they need help,” Live Oak Mayor Mary Dennis said. “I think has to be part of the conversation.”

Worden responded that TxDOT will meet with EMS providers throughout the corridor monthly to address concerns.

The work will be extensive, and officials said they will work to find ways to reduce disruptions.

“They’re not going to be working on the full corridor, it’s going to kind of be segmented,” Worden said. “There are going to mechanisms in the contract that incentivize the contractor to work more at night in the non-peak hours, rather than in peak hours.”

Construction is also planned for the section of I-35 from Walters Street to Loop 410 in San Antonio and from FM 3009 up to FM 1103. The southern section is funded but no date has been set for construction to begin. There is currently no dedicated funding for the northern section.

Have questions about transportation or traffic? Let us know, and your answer may be our next story. Find past answers on our traffic page.

The family of a well-known San Antonio surgeon killed in a 2019 hit-and-run crash reminded the woman convicted about the pain they continue to suffer during her sentencing Tuesday.

Melissa Peoples was found guilty of intoxication manslaughter and failure to stop and render aid before being sentenced to 15 years in prison for the death of Dr. Naji Kayruz.

After she pleaded guilty on Nov. 30, Peoples spoke out after being silent for three years with a public apology to the Kayruz family.

However, the family felt the apology was insincere.

“That apology came three years too late,” said Sandra Vasquez-Kayruz, the victim’s widow. “You had multiple opportunities to apologize to me in person these past three years. You could have even mouthed an apology to me,” she said during her portion of the victim impact statements.

Afterwards, Vasquez-Kayruz continued along those lines.

“That apology was focused on herself as the victim instead of acknowledging that my husband was the true victim and we were the victims of her crime,” she said. “It was unfair that she brought up domestic violence as a reason (for) behind being behind the wheel drinking. It is also unfair that her husband didn’t have the opportunity to counter that. A lot of what would have come out during a trial didn’t come out, which is why I touched on a little bit of it during my statement.”

In her statement before the court, Vasquez-Kayruz referenced Peoples’ previous arrest for DWI

She also referenced the defendant’s record and how she believed Peoples knew what she was doing at the time of the crash.

“A witness who was driving behind you told me she witnessed my husband’s body fly up as high as one of the power lines, and land about 40 feet from the initial impact,” Vasquez- Kayruz said. “You had a cracked windshield from the impact of my husband’s body and you had his blood splattered on your white BMW. You first spoke out saying you thought it was debris you hit. How dare you compare my husband’s body to trash!”

Anthony Kayruz, the victim’s son, also spoke during the victim impact statements.

“What 1,044 days have given me is 1,044 opportunities to relive that night,” he said while recounting the night he got the devastating call. “We have suffered for 1044 days and will suffer forever more. Would you believe me if I told you that you killed the best person I have ever known? Believe me!”

Anthony Kayruz went on to speak about the many memories he cherishes with his father, who had a major impact on the community athletically and medically.

“There is no healing from a loss like this,” he said. “There is only living with the pain and enduring it. A witness told me that after you struck him, his body flew higher than the power lines before crashing into the street below him. I can only wonder if he was still alive while he was in the air. What was he thinking about?”

He shared how Dr. Kayruz was his biggest supporter and who continued to teach him many lessons in life. He spoke about the last memory he had with his father in New York. Anthony Kayruz talked about the last text message he received from his father.

“It said, ‘Stay warm AK,’ which are my initials,” he said. “He would watch the weather in New York and would send me that on cold days. The last time I saw him, he was so happy and I was so happy. Like grasping a rose with thorns, that memory of my dad is beautiful but it comes with pain. I realize I don’t want memories. I want him.”

The family also spoke about the grave impact drunk driving has had on their lives and how they are disappointed in the justice system.

“When you chose to drink and drive, and let me emphasize, ‘chose’, for no situation forces a person to get behind a wheel drunk. You chose to gamble with your life and selfishly gamble with others,” Anthony Kayruz said. “Your consequence is but a raindrop compared to the flood we are drowning in.”

Because Peoples’ deadly weapon charge was dropped, she only has to serve one-quarter of her sentence before she is eligible for parole.

With good behavior and credited time served, Peoples may be released in the next three to four years.

The family said that is not justice to them.

“He saved lives,” Vasquez-Kayruz said. “You took a life. He would have stopped and rendered aid. You left the scene and tortured us for three years until the deadline of a plea bargain. If you are truly remorseful for killing my husband, I pray you do the right thing and serve your full 15 year sentence and refuse parole. Fifteen years is a small sacrifice for the 40 plus years you took away from my husband and for the devastation you have brought my family and this community.”

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Woman charged in hit-and-run death of San Antonio surgeon asks court for her BMW backRecords show woman accused of hitting, killing cyclist had prior DWI arrestProminent San Antonio surgeon remembered as ‘amazing doctor, husband, father’

More than two million pounds of cooked ham and pepperoni products have been recalled due to potential listeria contamination. Alexander & Hornung expanded an earlier recall that now includes a variety of products sold under various labels.

You can see the labels by clicking here.

No illnesses have been reported.

The USDA is concerned that some products may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. People who have the products are urged to throw them away or return them to the store. They were sold at various retailers nationwide.

Recalled products:

“FIVE STAR BRAND PEPPERONI” 1 lb. 3/19/2022“WELLSHIRE WOOD SMOKED NO CARVING REQUIRED SPIRAL SLICED ALL NATURAL SEMIBONELESS COOKED SEASONED UNCURED HAM” 6.25 lbs. 1/5/2022“WELLSHIRE WOOD SMOKED SEMI-BONELESS ALL NATURAL COOKED SEASONED UNCURED HAM” 6.25 lbs. 12/15/2021“WELLSHIRE WOOD SMOKED NO CARVING REQUIRED SPIRAL SLICED ALL NATURAL SEMI-BONELESS COOKED SEASONED UNCURED HAM” 12.5 lbs. 12/20/2021“WELLSHIRE WOOD SMOKED SEMIBONELESS ALL NATURAL COOKED SEASONED UNCURED HAM” 12.5 lbs. 12/10/2021“NIMAN RANCH All Natural APPLEWOOD SMOKED UNCURED HAM” 4 lbs. 21317 and less“Alexander & Hornung Super Trim BoneIn Ham Steak” 1.48 lbs. 2/22/2022“Alexander & Hornung Spiral Sliced SMOKED HAM WITH NATURAL JUICES” 16.36 lbs. 12/11/2021“Alexander & Hornung Glazed Fully Cooked Spiral Sliced Honey Ham With Natural Juices Ready to Eat” 5.92 lbs. 5/24/2022“Amish Country Fresh Brand Glazed Fully Cooked Spiral Sliced Ham with Natural Juices Ready to Eat” 7.38 lbs. 1/15/2022“Alexander & Hornung FULLY COOKED READY TO EAT HAM WITH NATURAL JUICES” 5.92 lbs. 21317 and less“Amish Valley Glazed Fully Cooked Spiral Sliced Ham with Natural Juices Ready to Eat” 5.55 lbs. 2/22/2022“BUTCHER BOY BONELESS FULLY COOKED HAM WATER ADDED” 8.24 lbs. 21317 and less“Alexander & Hornung Boneless Ham Water Added Fully Cooked” 1.44 lbs. 3/11/2022“Alexander & Hornung Boneless HAM WATER ADDED FULLY COOKED” 2.22 lbs. 3/6/2022“Alexander & Hornung Boneless Ham Water Added Fully Cooked” 2.88 lbs. 3/11/2022“Lancaster Brand Includes Glaze Packet Hickory Smoked Spiral Sliced Honey Ham with Natural Juices” 22.10 lbs. 1/15/2022“Lancaster Brand Includes Glaze Packet Hickory Smoked Spiral Sliced Honey Ham with Natural Juices” 11.06 lbs. 2/19/2022“Lancaster Brand Includes Brown Sugar Glaze Packet Spiral Sliced Half Ham with Natural Juices” 11.06 lbs. 2/19/2022“food club fully cooked spiral sliced ham WITH NATURAL JUICES honey cured” 2.74 lbs. 2/22/2022“food club fully cooked spiral sliced ham WITH NATURAL JUICES includes brown sugar flavored glaze packet” 7.37 lbs. 1/29/2022Big Y Hickory smoked honey cured spiral sliced ham with natural juices includes glaze packet” 7.37 lbs. 2/22/2022“Big Y Bone-in hickory smoked butt portion ham WATER ADDED” 7.37 lbs. 2/27/2022“Big Y bone-in hickory smoked ham steak WATER ADDED” 1.84 lbs. 12/24/2021“OPEN NATURE SPIRAL SLICED SEASONED UNCURED HAM SEMIBONELESS COOKED” 6.25 lbs. 1/10/2022“WELLSHIRE WOOD SMOKED NO CARVING REQUIRED SPIRAL SLICED ALL NATURAL SEMIBONELESS COOKED SEASONED 6.25 lbs. 1/11/2022“GARRETT VALLEY FARMS ALL NATURAL SPIRAL SLICED UNCURED HAM FULLY COOKED SEMI6.25 lbs. 1/11/2022

The products have the establishment number “EST. M10125″ inside the USDA mark of inspection on their labels.

If you bought a freestanding kitchen range last summer, it may be included in a GE Appliances recall. The company recalled more than 132,000 ranges due to a risk of tipping over.

They can tip over when a heavy object is placed on an open oven door and the anti-tip-over bracket is not secured. If there are hot food or liquids on the stove top, serious burns could result.

The recall involves 30-inch, 24-inch, and 20-inch ranges from seven brand names. Those are GE, GE Profile, Cafe, Haier, Hotpoint, Crosley, and Conservator.

They were sold from May through July 2021 at Lowe’s, Home Depot, Best Buy and other stores.

Consumers should contact GE Appliances for instructions at 877-247-9770. For more information, click here.

Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare recalled nearly a half million portable bed rails after two elderly people died.

When attached to an adult’s bed, users can become trapped and suffocate. The four models recalled were sold at medical supply stores as well as online at Amazon and Walmart.com.

For more information on the handles and rails affected, click here.

In a separate recall, Santa’s mailbox made the naughty list. Target recalled more than 174,000 metal decorative mailboxes because the letter slot can be sharp. Several cuts have been reported.

Target is giving full refunds.

The jersey No. 21 is an iconic number in Spurs lore, and this month, the number worn by Spurs great Tim Duncan can help feed San Antonio residents during the holidays.

The San Antonio Food Bank has launched the “Tim Duncan 2.1 Challenge” to help fight hunger in our area.

Duncan is matching all donations made to the San Antonio Food Bank through Dec. 31, doubling the impact of the donation.

Duncan’s goal is to provide 2.1 million meals this holiday season.

People who make a gift of $21 or more will receive a digital thank you photo from Duncan via the Food Bank.

Anyone who makes a gift of $2,100 or more will receive a special thank you video from the Spurs Hall of Famer.

Duncan has assisted and teamed up the San Antonio Food Bank several times in the past for disaster relief, to support local businesses and to fight hunger in the Bexar County area.

You can make a gift and help Duncan and the Food Bank reach their holiday goal here.

One month after the median price of a home in San Antonio exceeded $300,000 for the first time in history, prices continue to rise, according to data from the San Antonio Board of Realtors.

Based on November sales, the average price of a home sold in San Antonio increased 17% to $359,545 and the median price appreciated by 19% to $307,200.

A total of 3,027 homes sold in San Antonio last month, a 4% decrease from November of 2020.

Homes stayed on the market for an average of 32 days and 99.5% of the homes sold at or above the listing price.

“As we approach the end of the year we are beginning to see a glance into what the 2022 housing market may look like,” said Cher Miculka, SABOR’s 2021 Chairman of the Board in a press release. “A trend we have witnessed this quarter is more new listings hitting the San Antonio market, which means more inventory for prospective buyers. November reported 3,323 new listings and 5,437 active listings.”

Here’s how San Antonio’s November 2021 figures compare to the last two years:

November 2021November 2020November 2019Total homes sold3,027 (4% decrease)3,1542,466Average price$359,545 (17% increase)$308,198$262,335Median price$307,200 (19% increase)$258,800$230,600

Here’s how San Antonio’s October figures compare to sales figures in Bexar County and across Texas:

November 2021 Home SalesHomes SoldMedian PriceAverage PriceSan Antonio3,027
(↓ 4% from 2020)$307,200
(↑ 19% from 2020)$359,545
(↑ 17% from 2020)Bexar County2,109
(↓ 6.5% from 2020)$292,000
(↑ 18.7% from 2020)$335,071
(↑ 15.4% from 2020)Texas30,415
(↑ 2.3% from 2020)$320,000
(↑ 18.5% from 2020)$387,338
(↑ 15.2% from 2020)

Also on KSAT:

12 San Antonio-area ZIP codes with the highest increase in home prices12 most expensive ZIP codes in the San Antonio areaMedian home price in San Antonio exceeds $300K for first time ever

Austin’s HOLT Renewables — whose parent company, HOLT CAT, is headquartered in San Antonio — continues to expand its client base across the country with new projects.

A car dealership executive and two security firm owners, all from Austin, were recently charged in a plot to kidnap and kill a woman and her boyfriend in Nashville last year, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Federal authorities on Monday said Erik Charles Maund, 46, who is a partner in the Austin-based Maund Automotive Group, was charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping resulting in death, and carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Three others — Gilad Peled, 47, who owns Speartip Security in Austin; Bryon Brockway, 46, who owns another Austin-based security company Ink Force LLC; and Adam Carey, 30, of North Carolina, also received the same charges.

A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office states that Maund contacted Peled, Brockway and Carey following an extortion attempt from his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend.

Authorities said Maund had traveled to Nashville on occasion to visit a relative, and he emailed ex-girlfriend Holly Williams to see her during a trip in February 2020.

After visiting Nashville, Maund received text messages from the woman’s boyfriend, William Lanway, who demanded money and “threatened to expose his relationship,” the release states.

Maund then contacted the three men “to assist with dealing with the threats,” as Peled is a former member of the Israeli Defense Forces, and Brockway and Carey are former U.S. Marines who served in special operations units, the release states.

Maund withdrew $15,000 from his bank account on March 5, the same day an “intelligence report” was drafted. Carey and accomplices traveled to and from Nashville to surveil Williams and Lanway, investigators said.

On March 11, Peled deposited $8,000 into his security firm’s bank account and $7,000 into his personal account. Maund also transferred $150,000 to Peled the following day, authorities said.

On March 12, Brockway and Carey confronted the man and woman in a parking lot and shot the man multiple times, killing him, according to investigators. The gunmen then kidnapped the woman and drove her and Lanway’s body to a construction site in Nashville.

There, they fatally shot Williams and disposed of the bodies, the release states.

BREAKING: Four men are in custody, charged in an alleged elaborate murder-for-hire scheme involving an Austin, TX businessman & former military members that resulted in the 3/12/20 shooting deaths of Nashvillians Holly Williams, 33, & William Lanway, 36. pic.twitter.com/IyH1sTBL0K

— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) December 13, 2021

An indictment states that Maund transferred more than $750,000 for the kidnapping and deaths of Williams and Lanway.

FBI agents and Metro Nashville Police detectives orchestrated the men’s arrest on Friday, the release states. Proceedings will take place in Tennessee.

If convicted, they could face up to life in prison.

Read also:

Neighbor recalls hearing gunshots fired at man who interrupted car burglary

It’s the holiday season, and there’s no better time to get into the spirit. If you have a loved one, friend, or colleague who loves to get festively lit at San Antonio-area breweries and distilleries, you’re in luck, as plenty of comfort and joy (and spirited gifts) are flowing at local establishments, just in time for the gift-giving season. Tusculum Brewing Co. In downtown Boerne, pop into the Tusculum Brewery on Thursday, December 16 for…