Judge admits search-warrant evidence after testimony, while court also accepts multiple pleas and supervision changes

A district judge presiding over a criminal docket on Feb. 23 heard extensive testimony about the execution of a search warrant at 74 Kimberly Lane and admitted multiple exhibits, including body-worn and dash-camera recordings and photographs showing a vehicle with a plywood-covered plate and firearms recovered inside the home.

The hearing followed testimony from Atascosa County and Bexar County officers. Atascosa patrol sergeant John Rothenbach testified that he located the tan/gold SUV on Feb. 22 and that the license plate was covered by plywood; "10:29 is when I located there," he told the court. Investigator Joshua Ruiz said he approached a stopped vehicle on Feb. 23, identified the target (Marco Moreno Vasquez) in the back seat and "immediately detained him." Deputy Fernando Luna of the Bexar County Organized Crime Division testified that teams breached a locked gate to execute a search warrant and cleared the structure before investigators and crime-scene personnel entered.

Bexar County crime-scene investigator Christina Ybarra described photographs and items seized during the search and read the firearm descriptions into the record. Ybarra testified that officers recovered a TP9SF Canik handgun inside a clear plastic bag in a Tupperware container of beans; she recorded the model and serial number on the record as a TP9SF Canik, serial T6472-16AT11512, and said investigators also seized a Heritage .22 revolver (serial Y60836) and multiple shell casings. The items were entered and admitted as court exhibits.

Defense counsel objected to admitting testimony about the search and to the sufficiency of the warrant, arguing the officer who applied for the warrant should testify to the affidavit’s facts. The judge reviewed a copy of the search warrant (entered as state’s exhibit M1) on its four corners and overruled the objection for the witness’s testimony, allowing the current witness to testify about execution of the warrant. The court noted it would hold a further hearing on the warrant’s facts when the affiant is available on Monday.

Alongside the evidentiary hearing, the court disposed of several dockets and pleas: the court accepted a stipulated plea in State v. Maria Delagarza on count two (possession of a controlled substance) and found the defendant guilty, imposing a five-year sentence assessed and suspended and probated for four years, with conditions including a $1,000 probated fine, 100 hours of community service (with potential satisfaction provisions tied to treatment), no unsupervised contact with minors, field visits and required program completion. In a separate probation-revocation matter, David Barfield III pled true to a condition violation; the court found the violation true and amended supervision to require an IVR hotline with weekly testing for 90 days, anger-management within 60 days and enrollment in MRT, with a revocation motion to follow on failure to comply.

The court also accepted a guilty plea from Jason Perales to tampering with an electronic monitoring device and sentenced him to 180 days in a state-jail facility with a $600 fine, concurrent time and credit for time served; the court recorded a range of recommended conditions and discussed issues about probation transfer and fee reductions with counsel.

The judge admitted multiple digital-recording exhibits without objection (including state’s exhibits 86, 87 and 88) and allowed a broad set of crime-scene photographs and property items into evidence (photographs numbered in the 99–210 range and evidence packages logged as CYE1–CYE7). The court took a short recess and directed that the witness who sought the warrant would be produced Monday so the defense may further test the affidavit; the evidentiary hearing will continue at that time.

Why it matters: prosecutors told the court the seized firearm and related evidence were connected to a homicide investigation and introduced photographic and video evidence for the jury to review; the judge’s preliminary ruling to admit testimony about the warrant’s execution while reserving a follow-up hearing on the affidavit means the defense retains a route to challenge the underlying proof once the affiant appears. Several defendants resolved cases on the docket through pleas or probation modifications, producing immediate sentencing and supervision changes that will affect community supervision and custody status.

Court next steps: the court scheduled follow-up on the warrant and related testimony for Monday (the date was set during the hearing), and the criminal docket will resume with the remaining matters and any outstanding evidentiary disputes.

Quotes from the record

"10:29 is when I located there," John Rothenbach testified when identifying the vehicle he found near 74 Kimberly Lane.

"I immediately detained him," Investigator Joshua Ruiz said of his actions after identifying the suspect in the traffic stop.

"The court is finding you guilty," the judge stated when announcing a plea-based finding of guilt in a separate matter.

Details recorded in court

- Seized evidence: TP9SF Canik handgun (serial T6472-16AT11512), a Heritage .22 revolver (serial Y60836), multiple magazines and shell casings (logged as CYE1–CYE7). - Exhibits admitted: state’s exhibits 85 (vehicle photo), 86–88 (body/dash/scene recordings), and a large set of scene photographs and packaged evidence (exhibits in the 99–210 range and property entries 211–216). - Case outcomes on docket: Maria Delagarza — plea accepted, guilty finding and five-year sentence assessed and suspended (probated four years) with conditions; David Barfield III — violation found true and probation amended (IVR weekly testing, anger management, MRT); Jason Perales — guilty plea accepted and sentenced to 180 days in state jail and $600 fine.

The judge recessed the court for a short break and told counsel the evidentiary hearing will resume when the affiant who prepared the warrant is available to be questioned.