By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A 26-year-old Val Verde County man faces three felony assault charges after he was arrested for allegedly tying up a woman and beating her with a two-by-four.
Pedro Gilberto Veliz, 211 Grissom Drive, was arrested Thursday and has been charged with the offenses of aggravated assault dating/family/household member with a weapon, a first-degree felony; of assault family/household member impeding breath/circulation, a third-degree felony; and unlawful restraint: exposure to serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony, Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Gina Garcia announced Friday.
Garcia, who heads the sheriff’s office criminal investigations division, said members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force executed the arrest warrant, taking Veliz into custody in the 1300 block of West Garza Street.
In an affidavit filed in the case, VVSO Investigator Shaun Davis reported sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to 205 Grissom Drive, located in the Val Verde Park Estates area of the county, at 7:08 p.m. on Aug. 3 “to meet with a victim of domestic violence.”
“Upon arrival (VVSO) Sgt. Jesus Lopez, Deputy Josue Vela and Deputy Alejandra Davila made contact with the victim . . . Deputies noticed (the woman) had severe injuries to the left side of her face and possibly a hurt left arm,” Davis wrote.
The 21-year-old woman told deputies she had been assaulted by Veliz, further claiming Veliz had beaten her with a two-by-four “in multiple places on her body.”
“(The woman) was transported to the Val Verde Regional Medical Center . . . by Val Verde Emergency Medical Services. At the VVRMC, deputies learned that (the woman’s) left elbow was broken as a result from the assault by Veliz,” Davis wrote.
Davis reported he interviewed the woman Aug. 10.
He said the woman told him she had been dating Veliz since December 2021, and she and Veliz lived at Veliz’s uncle’s house at 211 Grissom Drive. The woman told Davis that on that night of Aug. 2, Veliz ordered her to perform a sex act, but she refused.
“(The woman) said Veliz got upset due to her refusing and tied her hands and feet up with two set of red curtains. (The woman) said Veliz then assaulted her by hitting her with an approximate two-foot-long wooden two-by-four. (The woman) stated Veliz also kicked her with his feet and slapped her in the face with his hands. (The woman) said she was hit by Veliz on her legs, arms, thighs, hands, feet and head,” Davis wrote.
The woman told Davis she was able to calm Veliz down, but claimed about 1 a.m. on Aug. 3, “Veliz began to assault her again in the same manner.”
The woman also told Davis that during this episode, Veliz allegedly choked her, first by using one hand, then with both arms, around her neck, impeding her breathing.
“(The woman) advised that her and Veliz slept most of the day of Aug. 3 and at approximately 5 to 5:20 p.m., Veliz left the residence. (The woman) said before Veliz left the residence, he tied her hands and feet with the red curtains in the same manner previously mentioned. (The woman) said Veliz told her that she was not going to escape while he was away,” Davis wrote.
The woman told Davis that once Veliz was out of the house, she was able to break free from her restraints. She claimed she then “broke through the flooring of the trailer in the master bedroom in order to crawl out from underneath the trailer.”
The woman said she ran to a neighbor’s house, from which she called the sheriff’s office.
“(The woman) told Davis that VVRMC (personnel) told her she had several fractures to her left elbow and bruising to her head and legs. (The woman) advised the factures to her left elbow were caused from Veliz hitting her with the two-by-four,” Davis wrote.
The investigator also said he viewed photos of the woman depicting the injuries to her arm and to her face.
Davis obtained a warrant for Veliz’s arrest on Aug. 10, and Veliz was taken into custody the following day.
—
Contact the author at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
