"Sophia Evans," the woman who was savagely beaten and left for dead in an abandoned Del Valle house last December, fears that her attacker may never be caught. more ›

Robert Lee Moone, a sex offender who has been convicted "for multiple Burglary of Habitation with Intent to Commit Sex Offenses," according to the APD, escaped from the sober living environment Encore House, where he was undergoing 24-hour surveillance after being granted parole in 2010. more ›

Late Monday night, a white or hispanic person somewhere between 45-50 robbed a Taco Bell on Burnet Road, and then committed the same crime early Tuesday morning at a Valero on North Lamar. He just "demanded money," and it hasn't been reported yet if he was armed or not. more ›

Sunday evening in the Ferris area (south of Dallas), a quick fight -- something like three to five minutes long -- between adults at a quinceañera had disastrous repercussions. WFAA reports that the midnight argument began when the alcohol ran out, and two of the folks involved grabbed guns from their cars. Weapons used by other party-goers included knives and even a brick. more ›

For the latest edition of "Only in Texas Could This Possibly Ever Happen," a Corpus Christi cowgirl was arrested on Saturday morning after leading police officers on a 30-mph chase in her Jeep. When police caught (briskly walked?) up to wasted wrangler, she was not only drunk- she was naked. Well, not entirely naked. You see, while Taylor Burnham may have forgotten her pants, she did remember to put on her cowboy boots. She is Texan, after all. more ›

On January 12th, the APD investigated a deceased persons call at the 3000 block of Guadalupe. James Loren Brown was found dead by his roommate after coming back from the holidays, and APD linked the composite sketch of the Barerra suspect with Brown while also taking into account the proximity of Brown's residence and the attacks that took place on New Year's. FOX is reporting that DNA taken from a New Year's Day attack matched Brown's, and that it also matches four other unsolved cases. No word on whether DNA has been matched to Esme Barrera's case, though police are confirming Brown is the prime suspect in her case as well. Brown was considered a suspect in attacks in "South Austin early July 1, on joggers on July 8, and an attack on Sept. 11 around 8:30 a.m. at Comal and Haskell streets in East Austin," according to the Statesman. more ›

One week since the death of Esme Barrera and the possibly related attacks on two other women in Austin's West campus area, little in the way of hard, verifiable, information appears to have surfaced. Austin police say they're received “thousands” of tips and are in the process of following up on leads. They have requested that anyone who spoke to Barrera on New Year's Eve or in the early hours of New Year's Day contact them at (512) 477-3588. Meanwhile, we at Austinist have been following the news for you. more ›

As Austin gathers to remember Esme Barrera, Austin police continue to search for any information that may shed light on who killed her during the dark early hours of a new year. Police are asking the public to help identify a man who may be connected. more ›

This post is by new news writer Rosa Barnes. -- ed. Wednesday evening, Fatima Barrie, biology major and track athlete of Huston-Tillotson College, was placed on life support after falling victim to a stabbing in downtown Austin. Early Sunday morning, after leaving Republic Live on West 5th, 21 year-old Barrie was confronted by Kaitlyn Ritcherson, 19, and as friends attempted to pull Barrie away Ritcherson stabbed her. more ›

What began as a burglary on Feather Hill Road turned into a SWAT situation in south Austin this morning, leaving Bowie High School on Lockdown. Police are reporting that someone broke into a home, stole a car, and took off, starting a chase. The suspect then ditched the car and hid out in a nearby home (photo: 10200 block of Brodie Lane), where he is currently barricaded. Though the residents were home at the time of the intrusion, they were able to escape before the suspect took the house into lockdown. Update: The suspect has been taken into custody, without incident. more ›

On October 30, 26-year-old Burke Burnett was attacked by three men at a private Halloween party in Reno, Texas. The undeniably vicious attack appears to have been motivated by anti-gay bigotry.Late last week Burnett was informed by the Lamar County District Attorney’s Office that his attackers will face hate crime charges. more ›

It probably doesn't come as much of a surprise to you that this weekend -- one of Sixth Street's busiest of the year -- has been declared a "no refusal" weekend by APD. From 9pm - 5am tonight through Monday, police officers will be able to obtain blood search warrants for suspects who refuse a breathalyzer test. During the four-day July 4th weekend, 73 DWI arrests were made. Given that this is a home game weekend plus Halloween, it's likely that the number may be higher this four day weekend. Drive safe! [Statesman] more ›

Duane Buck, sentenced to death for a 1995 double homicide in Houston, is breathing a little easier this morning. Two hours into last night's six hour execution window (he'd even eaten his "last meal" already), the US Supreme Court stayed his execution. Gov. Perry and other officials had made no move to even postpone the execution date after questions of his race being a factor in his sentencing were raised. Buck's lawyers assert that he is due a new sentencing hearing; the Supreme Court has temporarily postponed his execution while they review the lawyers' claims. You can read more about Buck's case in yesterday's post. more ›

Wearing only tattoos and a pair of boxer shorts, Lyle Monroe Bensley, 19, forced his way into the woman's Seawall Boulevard apartment early Saturday morning, where he began biting and hitting the woman in her bed. more ›

No, we're not talking an APD project to create Spartans (that would be MUCH cooler). This HALO, short for Higher Activity Location Observation, is a system of 24-hour eye-in-the-sky surveillance cameras with the ability to pan, zoom, and tilt. Four such cameras were activated Monday in areas along Rundberg Lane, positioned on telephone poles and at traffic lights. more ›

It's not just the coffee that packs a punch! Tuesday afternoon, a woman rushed into the Starbucks at Congress Avenue and 6th Street, stole a tip jar, and assaulted a customer for her wallet. Richard Chambers, another customer, stopped the woman outside the store and held her until police arrived. No one was seriously injured and the suspect was taken into custody. Austinist thinks Starbucks owes this guy a venti iced white mocha, breve and with caramel drizzle! more ›

This Fourth of July weekend probably was not the best one to pass on the taxi. In a span of four days the Austin Police Department's "No Refusal" initiative totaled 73 DWI arrests, the Statesman reported. Under the initiative, officers can obtain blood search warrants on suspects who refuse to give a breath or blood sample as required by law. more ›

The latest growing trend in nickel-and-dime larceny (pun intended) is copper theft. Copper tubing was stolen from the AC units at Ruiz Library in east Austin last weekend. The thieves stole the copper from four of the units on Friday. Then, in a move we can only describe as 'ballsy', returned Saturday night to finish the job -- pulling the wire from the remaining 7 units. The library is currently without any air conditioning and is closed indefinitely. Copper wiring was stolen from Blanco County on June 16th, leaving some Verizon customers without service. more ›

• Check out this White Denim video where they are playing the “prom.” Hello, yummy cheesiness!
• It’s a rap about Whole Foods. Yes, “It’s Getting Real In the Whole Foods Parking Lot.”
• The Austin Public Library (and the Austin Film Society) are screening some movies for FREE!

An Arlington teacher was arrested last week on five second-degree felony offenses for having sexual relationships with students. more ›

• These Sony attacks have to be an inside job.
• How long before we turn our war machine on Syria?
• Everyone can relax, CEO pay currently exceeds pre-recession level.

Angry that his daughter was in a lesbian relationship, an Austin father allegedly shot and killed his daughter's girlfriend Monday night. According to police, Jose Alfonso Aviles knocked on the front door of the home of Norma Hurtado, 24, and her mother, Maria Hurtado. When the women answered, he killed both of them. Aviles's daughter, who remains unidentified but is believed to be 18, was reportedly inside the home and found the victims. more ›

• Can you imagine using gold and silver coins as legal tender? Wonder if we will also start using bags with dollar signs printed on them to carry this gold...
• It looks like the U.S. Government will stay open for awhile. All the pages are likely very pleased.
• NATO starting to show strains over approach to Libya. And yes, the US still pays the tab when it is "NATO" operation.

A UT student was woken by an unwanted guest in her bed early Sunday morning. The recently renovated Moore-Hill dorm, where the incident occurred, has security measures in place. ID cards and dorm keys, however, aren't exactly ironclad. The intruder was described as an Asian male with short black hair, white t-shirt and black basketball shorts. It was reported that he tried to get on top of her, but left when she resisted. [KXAN] more ›

• There’s unhappiness at Arthouse.
• More bodies found just over the Texas border.
• Highly disturbing story about Houston twins who let their mother die…then lived with her decomposing body.

• NATO "regrets" shooting Libyan rebels
• The Ivory Coast situation reminds us of the Who song lyric, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."
• Yemen's President rejects pleas for his resignation while protests continue. Do you think the Mayans were on to something?

Apparently, laughter can really dampen the mood when you’re trying to rob a bank. On April 5th, at a Wells Fargo in Beaumont, a man wearing sunglasses and a hard hat approached a teller and handed her a note demanding she give him money. When the teller broke into laughter after reading it, the man snatched back the note and bee-lined for the exit. We’re hoping the teller will reveal what exactly was so funny about the note. [KVUE] more ›