A predawn 911 call about nine gunshots echoing through the Colony Ridge area south of Cleveland ended with the arrest of a 22-year-old man, a handgun recovered from his truck, and a baggie of suspected cocaine in his pocket. Jesus Salinas Jr. was arrested early Monday, Oct. 26, after deputies traced the gunfire report to a traffic stop just minutes away.
According to Bluebonnet News, a Liberty County Sheriff's Office deputy was dispatched at approximately 2:48 a.m. after a resident reported hearing roughly nine gunshots fired along the public roadway near his home. The resident also told deputies he saw a gray GMC pickup truck leave the area, giving responding deputies a lead to chase down almost immediately.
A deputy located a vehicle matching that description nearby and conducted a traffic stop at CR 3556 and CR 3549. The driver was identified as Salinas, who reportedly acknowledged having a handgun inside the vehicle. The weapon contained three rounds in the magazine and one already chambered, the outlet's report states.
Casings Matched the Recovered Handgun
Deputies then recovered nine spent shell casings that matched the ammunition found in Salinas' handgun, the same report notes. A search following his arrest reportedly turned up a small quantity of white powder believed to be cocaine in his possession, though the account does not indicate that lab testing has confirmed what the substance is.
Salinas was booked into the Liberty County Jail on two misdemeanor charges and one state jail felony: unlawful carrying of a weapon, a Class A misdemeanor; disorderly conduct involving the discharge or display of a firearm, a Class B misdemeanor; and possession of a controlled substance under one gram, a state jail felony. A separate Liberty County jail arrest report from the same outlet lists Salinas for possession of a controlled substance, unlawfully carrying a weapon and disorderly conduct, matching the booking charges detailed in the arrest account. He was transported to the jail without further incident, the report states.
Second Colony Ridge Gun Case This Year
This is not the only gunfire case to hit the sprawling Colony Ridge community this year. In August, authorities investigated a fatal shooting on CR 3540 in the community's Grand San Jacinto subdivision, with deputies called to the scene around 8:45 p.m. after a report of shots fired, according to a separate Bluebonnet News report. One person died at the scene, and investigators withheld that person's identity pending notification of next of kin.
In that August case, authorities identified two persons of interest — one was located with a gunshot wound, while the other remained at large, per the same account. The shooting reportedly followed an altercation involving a group of men at Los Toxicos bar on CR 3540. No update on that investigation's status was included in the available reporting.
No court disposition, bond amount or plea has been reported for Salinas following his Oct. 26 arrest. He was booked at the Liberty County Jail on weapons, disorderly conduct and controlled-substance charges stemming from the early-morning stop.
