The fire occurred on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 22, on an out‑of‑service vessel that was being dismantled inside a boat‑recycling facility. According to the latest information, workers were performing tasks in a section of the ship when some materials ignited, causing the incident. The Fire Department…

A fryer exploded at the El Compadre taquería in Brownsville, causing a kitchen fire that did not spread thanks to neighbors who arrived with fire extinguishers. “It suddenly exploded, producing the flame and that’s when I couldn’t control it. I simply chose to unplug it and try to remove it so it wouldn’t cause the fire to spread to the cables,” …

Adrián Edward Quintero, 40, a resident of La Feria, was arrested after two thefts and an attempted theft at the Muñiz Rio Grande pharmacy between July 18 and August 25. Harlingen police detained him during a search of Bearfield Lane and charge him with robbery, attempted robbery and possession of controlled substances, causing concern among Rio Grande Valley residents.

Cirilo Castillo, 54, a resident of Edinburg, faces a bestiality charge and two counts of criminal trespass, with a bail of 70 mil dollars. Authorities noted that he had already been prosecuted in 2022 for animal sex and in 2013 for animal cruelty and trespassing, which alarms the population of the Valle del Río Grande.

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- First responders are at the scene of a three-vehicle crash in Brownsville. The crash occurred at the intersection of Paredes Line Road and Ruben M. Torres Boulevard. A spokesperson for the Brownsville Police Department says several people were transported to the hospital in unknown condition. The Brownsville Fire Department issued a [...]

Donna Police Department is investigating a domestic dispute involving a stabbing on East North Avenue. One victim was found, and one suspect is detained.

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- One person is in jail in connection with a stabbing that happened in Donna, according to Donna police Chief Gilbert Guerrero. Guerrero confirmed that police were dispatched to the stabbing incident Friday night. Police did not release the suspect's or the victim's name. As of Saturday morning, the victim remains in [...]

Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. ordered County Beach Access Nos. 4, 5/E.K. Atwood Park Pavilion and 6 closed after high tides from a recent storm made the sand unsafe for vehicles and pedestrians. The closure started at 8 a.m. on Oct. 10 and will remain until notice; South Padre Island sites at Isla Blanca and Andy Bowie Parks stay open, and residents should check the Flag Advisory System for surf conditions.

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- Three Cameron County beaches will remain temporarily closed due to high tides and dangerous conditions in the Gulf indirectly caused by now-former Hurricane Isaias. Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. announced the temporary closures Saturday morning in a press release. The closures will be in effect until further notice at the [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- First responders are at the scene of a crash on the eastbound expressway lanes in Harlingen. ValleyCentral was at the scene and observed several agencies, including the Harlingen Police Department, the Harlingen Fire Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Drivers of several vehicles and [...]

Former Hidalgo County detention officer Luis Enrique Vega, 30, was charged Thursday with official oppression after an investigation showed he struck a handcuffed inmate’s face multiple times on Sept. 8 at about 8:30 p.m. in the Hidalgo County Detention Center. The sheriff’s office said Vega was placed on leave, terminated Monday, and released on a $2,500 bond.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) – A Cameron County jury found Rogelio Martinez guilty of capital murder Thursday in the 2023 shooting death of San Benito Police Lt. Milton Resendez. The verdict came after nearly five hours of deliberation following almost a week of testimony. Resendez’s family cried and embraced each other and supporters after the verdict [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Starr County Sheriff's Office investigators arrested a man accused of being involved in an improper relationship with a student. Francisco Contreras Jr. was booked into the county jail on Wednesday on a charge of improper relationship between educator and student, a second-degree felony, and two counts of sexual assault of a [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A month after he was accused of striking an inmate in the face, a now-former Hidalgo County detention officer has been charged. Luis Vega, 30, was charged with official oppression, a Class A misdemeanor, on Thursday. A judge set bond at $2,500, according to the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office. The alleged [...]

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — After hearing closing arguments from the state and defense Thursday morning, the jury is deliberating in the capital murder trial for Rogelio Martinez Jr., who is accused of killing San Benito Police Lt. Milton Resendez during a 2023 police chase. Closing arguments follow a three-day trial in which the jury heard [...]

A Cameron County jury spent three hours and 15 minutes Thursday finding 21‑year‑old Rogelio Martinez guilty of capital murder for the Oct. 17, 2023 shooting that killed San Benito police Lt. Milton Resendez, a 27‑year veteran, after a chase that began on South Padre Island. Mario Perea thanked District Attorney Luis V. Saenz, said justice was served, and noted prosecutors are seeking the death penalty; Martinez showed no emotion.

Jurors began deliberating at 11:10 a.m. Thursday in the capital‑murder trial of 21‑year‑old Rogelio Martinez, accused of fatally shooting San Benito police Lt. Milton Resendez on Oct. 17, 2023, after a chase from South Padre Island to Brownsville. Martinez has pleaded not guilty; prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, while his co‑defendant Espinosa Valdez previously pleaded guilty to a lesser murder charge.

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- A family member of the children slain by their parents, John Allen Rubio and Angela Camacho, finally broke the silence during a court hearing on Wednesday. It was a sudden and intense moment in the courtroom. Just after State District Judge Noe Gonzalez told Rubio he was out of options to [...]

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Both the state and defense have rested in the capital murder trial of Rogelio Martinez, who is accused of killing San Benito Police Lt. Milton Resendez during a 2023 police chase. On the third day of trial, jurors heard directly from Martinez through a roughly 90-minute interview he gave to law enforcement [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- Brownsville Fire Department crew members are touring school campuses to keep students informed about fire safety. Fire crews visited Perez Elementary School on Wednesday to demonstrate how to respond during a fire emergency. "We're here to teach them about the 911 system, what numbers to dial, if there was an emergency, [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The San Benito Police Department announced Wednesday that it will postpone its annual National Night Out celebration. Authorities announced on social media that the event was postponed due to weather. National Night Out is an annual celebration that connects law enforcement with communities across the U.S. The San Benito National Night [...]

Four men—Mario “Chencho” Alejandro Sanchez, Orlando Olaguer Rabadan, John Phuc Phan and Hector “Cuatro” Jesus Martinez Jr.—were arrested Monday for the murder of Eric Garcia, who was found with multiple stab wounds in a San Juan parking lot on North Veterans Boulevard Saturday around 2:21 a.m. Police noted a blood‑stained white Ford Expedition and a red Cadillac driven by Phan at the scene, and surveillance footage matched the suspects.

State and defense attorneys rested their cases Wednesday in the Rogelio Martinez death‑penalty trial after jurors viewed an interview in which the 21‑year‑old defendant admits to the Oct. 17, 2023 shooting that killed San Benito police Lt. Milton Resendez. Martinez tells Texas Ranger Patrick O’Connor he fired only to scare officers and protect children in the red GMC truck, while the chase spanned South Padre Island, Brownsville and San Benito.