GCSO nabs 'Most Wanted' fugitive

Two men were arrested Wednesday after sheriff’s deputies were able to link them to a theft of numerous items, officials say.

On March 11, the Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a stolen ATV from a property in northeast Gonzales County, Lt. Matt Atkinson reported.  Acting on a tip from the owner of the ATV, deputies were able to recover several stolen items from a property on CR 420 on March 18.

The stolen ATV, along with two personal watercrafts and a trailer stolen from Harris County, as well as a Kawasaki RTV stolen from Fayette County were recovered.  Two suspects — Jesus Moreno, 44, of Waelder, and Ivan de la Garza, 26, of Houston — were arrested on charges in relation to the stolen property.

De la Garza, who also goes by the alias “Ivan Garcia,” was identified as one of Harris County’s Top 10 Most Wanted Gang Fugitives.  Both men are currently incarcerated in the Gonzales County Jail awaiting bond.

GCSO also reported that investigators recently recovered several firearms stolen from a residence in northwest Gonzales County in 2014.  During the investigation, it was determined that some of the firearms had been sold at several pawn shops in Victoria.  Sgt. Dennis Jahns and Deputy Investigator Sean Newlin conducted the follow-up investigation, resulting in the recovery of nine firearms stolen from Gonzales County.  The case is still under investigation and charges are expected to be filed against a suspect in the near future, Atkinson said.