By Allan Jamail
Jacinto City, TX. – Thursday, October 12, 2017 at the regular council meeting, Jacinto City Detective B. J. Silva received two awards. Former Police Chief Allan Jamail presented a courageous performance award for her single-handed arrest on July 23, 2017 of child predator ex-convict Juan Carlos Apodaca. Keep Jacinto City Clean Committee presented a 28 year service award.
Silva’s arrest of Apocada stemmed from him showing hard core pornography from his cell phone to a 9 year old girl who was shopping with her mother at the Seller’s grocery store in Jacinto City.
The stores security camera provided Detective Silva with the suspect’s photo which was matched on a sexual offender’s database. Silva, with two backup officers, went to his Galena Park home but no one answered the door. The two backup officers had to leave her alone when called off for other assignments; she remained, keeping the house under surveillance.
When seeing a vehicle, arrive even though alone without any backup, officer Silva went to the door again. She was allowed in, where she spotted the suspect, and after talking to him, she took him to the police station, where he confessed. The charge of Displaying Harmful Material to a Minor is pending. Texas criminal records show Apodaca was arrested in 2012 and found guilty of indecency with a child by sexual contact and served a prison sentence.