Nolan County Sheriff’s Office plays crucial role in apprehension of Garrett’s robbery suspects

On Monday, December 21, 2015, shortly after learning that the Garrett’s Convenience store in Sweetwater had been robbed, Nolan County Sheriff’s Office Investigator James Villanueva received a phone call from Officer Jay Strong, of the Merkel Police Department. Officer Strong notified Investigator Villanueva that he was assisting a Taylor County deputy on a traffic stop at the 270 mile marker on Interstate 20. Information provided by Officer Strong was that after a black sedan had been stopped for a minor traffic infraction, it was found to be stolen, which prompted a roadside investigation. During the investigation, a firearm, a bank bag along with other items were discovered which lead Officer Strong to make contact with Investigator Villanueva. After working together with the two agencies in piecing together information, Investigator Villanueva contacted Detectives Melinda Garza and Sam Cunningham of the Sweetwater Police Department. Both Detectives were made aware of the traffic stop and evidence that would possibly link the suspects to the Garret’s Convenience store robbery in Sweetwater. Detective Cunningham followed-up on the leads provided, and after conducting interviews with both suspects, he was able to charge Shontyeisha Brock and Salatiel Bell with the felony offense of Aggravated Robbery. This is definitely another fine example of how teamwork within agencies and awareness lead to success.