Within 12 hours of the incident, deputies located a vehicle believed to be connected to the burglary and conducted a traffic stop.
ATASCOSA COUNTY, Texas — An early-morning burglary at a convenience store in Poteet led deputies to uncover a larger case involving drugs and multiple suspects, authorities said.
Investigators say the break-in happened Friday along Highway 16, where surveillance images show suspects forcing their way into a Super Stop store after hours. Little of value was taken, according to officials.
“It seems like they went into a lot of trouble to get into a convenience store where there usually isn’t a lot of valuable items to steal,” said Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Eric Kaiser.
Authorities believe the burglary may have been opportunistic.
“It was probably a crime of opportunity,” Kaiser said. “They saw the convenience store with nobody in it and they took their shot.”
The store’s entrance has since been boarded up with plywood following the attempted break-in.
Within 12 hours of the incident, deputies located a vehicle believed to be connected to the burglary and conducted a traffic stop. Two people were arrested: 43-year-old Freddie Jacinto and 42-year-old Crystal Flores, both of San Antonio.
Both suspects were charged with possession of a controlled substance — methamphetamine. Deputies said they also recovered evidence linking the vehicle to the burglary.
“In many cases, especially if it’s drug-related, they’re just looking for smash-and-grab type items — things they can steal and trade for cash and drugs,” Kaiser said.
Authorities say Jacinto later confessed to the burglary and now faces an additional charge of burglary of a building. He is being held in the Atascosa County Jail on a $50,000 bond. Flores’ bond is set at $20,000 and is also being held in Atascosa County Jail.
Investigators say the case remains active as they work to identify other individuals seen in the surveillance footage.
“There were other people in the security video that we’re currently working on identifying,” Kaiser said. “If we do that, we will have further charges for more individuals.”