BELLVILLE — Bellville Police Chief Jason Smalley reported that this past week at about 1:30 p.m., May 10, an attempted kidnapping happened in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven store in Bellville.
The female victim was walking to her car when a male subject drove up in his truck, got out, and grabbed her.
A Bellville police officer was driving by and saw as the crime occurred and
the suspect fled the scene. The female victim got away and was not physically harmed.
A pursuit began but ended on Kenney Hall Road, with the suspect’s vehicle coming to a stop. He was seen snorting large amounts of what was believed to be cocaine as the officers approached the suspect’s vehicle.
Jesus Duarte Ramirez, 44, also known as Ausencio Garcia Herrera and an illegal alien, was arrested for attempted kidnapping, evading arrest, tampering with evidence, and possessing a controlled substance. Ramirez was taken to Mid Coast Medical Center to be treated for a possible narcotic reaction.
Upon further investigation and with the help of network sharing on social media, it was learned that Ramirez was wanted for murdering his wife by stab- bing her a few days earlier before fleeing and ending up in Bellville.
It is unknown why he was in Bellville. He has no connection to the female kidnap victim or has any family members in the area. He is currently held in the Austin County Jail on local charges and awaiting extradition to Harris County to face the murder charge.
This is another sad reminder that small-town America as we know it is no more.
