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(Charlie L. Harper III)
Emboldened, perhaps, by reports that Austin police were making fewer traffic stops and feeling safer, possibly, with fewer cars on the road, two local motorists were pulled over this week on separate occasions for driving over 100 mph on MoPac.
<p>Not necessarily headline-grabbing news under normal circumstances.</p><p>But they were part of a wave of targeted traffic stops after the Austin Police Department began accelerating traffic enforcement on May 15, a response to an upswing in fatalities and serious wrecks since the pandemic began. </p><p>The Austin Police Department declined to release statistics showing what they described in a news release as "a significant number" of crashes and fatalities. </p><p>Police said on May 15, the day the initiative started, that there had been 33 fatal crashes in Austin that have killed 35 people since January. In the same time last year, the number was 30. </p><p>That can be a considered a significant jump in the numbers because crisis-related workplace closures, staff layoffs and stay-at-home orders meant that streets and highways were usually empty, with only a small fraction of normal traffic out on the road. </p><p>In other words, less traffic—but more traffic deaths. </p><p>Police said they would be "focusing presence and enforcement on high-speed and high-traffic roadways" through May 31. </p><p>"Officers will concentrate on reducing crashes overall through directed patrols," a police statement this week said. "The increased patrol visibility is intended to dissuade speeding, red-light violations and other dangerous driving behaviors that contribute to unsafe conditions for all road users."</p><p>Prior to May 15, Austin police had been discouraged from enforcing non-hazardous traffic violations to avoid more contact with the public than necessary. </p><p>Asked if the focused patrols would last beyond May 31, police declined to be interviewed for this story but emailed the following quote, attributed to Lt. Jason Disher of the Austin police Highway Enforcement Command.</p><p>"APD is dedicated to traffic safety and will continue to work to reduce crashes through education and enforcement," Disher said.</p>
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(Roschetzky Photography/Shutterstock)
Property crimes were up in April over last year, but violent crimes were down, as Austin residents settled deeper into quarantine mode during the first full month the city was shut down to avoid spread of the coronavirus, according to a new report from Austin Police Chief Brian Manley.
<p>The April numbers, released this week in the Chief's Monthly Crime Report, count the number of times police were called for crimes ranging from homicide to gambling. </p><p>They appear to tell the story of a city hunkering down and staying off the streets—with fewer crimes like pick-pocketing and shoplifting, fewer violent incidents, and more property crimes that are easier done with no one around.</p><p>There's also an overall 38% drop, compared with April 2019, in crimes typically encountered by patrols or neighborhood watch groups: weapons violations, drug charges, prostitution, gambling and other violations known as "crimes against society."</p><p>"It all has to do with people not being outside," said Austin police Det. Ken Casaday, president of the Austin Police Association. "They're locked up and scared to go outside. I think the more you see people going out and feeling comfortable leaving the house, the more crime you'll see."</p><p>When the lockdown began in mid-March, police saw an uptick in violence, which they attributed to tensions boiling over in the early days of the pandemic.</p><p>In April, violent crime dropped, dipping some 13% below last year's rate.<br/></p> <p>Casaday said those changes could be attributed to regular statistical swings, less reporting and fewer opportunities.</p><p>The sharpest decline in violence, both from March to April and over last year's numbers, came in simple assaults, which commonly occur during bar fights and muggings—no deadly weapons and no major injuries. </p><p>But with no bars open and fewer people roaming the streets, these types of attacks were down from 933 in March to 791 in April. The numbers are similar when compared with April 2019. </p><p>Casaday said the lack of nightlife activity is a clear contributor to that drop, likely short lived.</p><p>"Once you start seeing the bars open up, I think you'll see more of that," he said. </p><p>Property crimes like robberies, arsons, burglaries, auto thefts and car break-ins saw significant increases from the same month and time span as last year. </p><p>Manley said a large chunk of those are typically perpetrated by teenagers, who now have no school or activities to occupy their time. </p><p>"With the kids not being in school and a lot of the parents working, it's a good mix for property crime," he said. </p><p>Asked whether economic desperation is a factor, Manley said he hasn't seen that yet. </p><p>"But the longer this goes on, and the more people that become homeless or without a paycheck, I would expect those types of things to increase," he said. </p>
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David Osborne (Monterey County Sheriff's Department)
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A California judge is set to decide in June whether prosecutors have enough evidence to bring an Austin financial advisor to trial on sexual assault charges after an ill-fated luxury golf trip last year.
<p>The legal troubles of David Walter Osborne began in early May 2019 during a stay with two friends the Monterey Sheriff's Department described as "high-profile" at Pebble Beach Resorts, which hosted the U.S. Open a month later. </p><p>Monterey County authorities say Osborne, whose financial advisory firm describes its clients as "families, entrepreneurs, and sports professionals," and his friends flew on a private jet and shared rooms at The Lodge at Pebble Beach, where accommodations start at close to $1,000 and top $7,000 per night.</p>
<p>Monterey County prosecutors believe that on or around May 7, 2019, Osborne sexually assaulted a woman at his hotel in an incident that prompted four felony charges.</p><p><span></span>The charges are false imprisonment by violence, attempted forcible rape, assault with intent to commit a felony, and sexual penetration by a foreign object. All are felonies, punishable by three to eight years in prison, respectively.<br/></p><p>Osborne was jailed in Austin on May 21, 2019 after Monterey County Sheriff's deputies flew to Texas to arrest him at his downtown Austin office. He posted bail the next day. He was 48 at the time.</p><p>Authorities won't identify the two golf pals, who they'll only describe as "high profile," and prosecutors have declined to say if they—or a second woman initially described as a victim but later dropped from the complaint—will be called as witnesses. </p><p>Neither prosecutors nor police will discuss details of the case. It is unclear whether the two women referred to in the initial report flew in with Osborne or if he met them while in California.</p><p>Osborne is the only suspect in the case, said Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Lana Nassoura, and he is set to appear for a preliminary hearing on June 4 in Monterey County Superior Court. </p><p>"We believe the charges are baseless and should be dismissed outright," said San Francisco attorney Lyn Agre, who is representing him in California. "He has pleaded not guilty and will defend himself in court to the fullest extent of the law." </p><p>The case stalled when California closed its courts in response to pandemic concerns, but jury trials and hearings in Monterey County are set to resume June 1 with social distancing restrictions, court officials said. </p><p>If the hearing, which has been postponed twice, goes on as scheduled, a judge will determine if prosecutors have enough evidence to move on to a trial.</p><p>Prosecutors and sheriff's officials in Monterey County declined to release more details about the accusations, saying that information is not considered public in open cases in California. </p><p>The initial police report said Osborne had attacked two women, but after further analysis of the case, prosecutors believed only one of them was the victim of a crime, Nassoura said. She declined to elaborate, citing case confidentiality. </p><p>Asked whether the second woman would be treated as a witness, Nassoura said that had not yet been decided. </p><p>She declined to say whether the two friends who accompanied Osborne on the trip and stayed with him at the lodge would be treated as witnesses. </p><p>"Since that's fact specific, I can't answer that question," she said in an email to Austonia. </p><p>Osborne is the only person being charged in connection with the incident, she said.</p><p>Nassoura said she believes Osborne is waiting out the case in Texas, but he is required to return to California for the preliminary hearing, she said. She declined to discuss any more specifics about the case.</p><p>Osborne is not currently registered as an active broker or investment advisor, according to FINRA, the nonprofit watchdog arm of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. A FINRA representative said that, according to their records, he was no longer registered as of July 2019.</p><p>His wealth management firm, Osborne Advisors, has offices in Dallas and Austin but Osborne, listed as the company president and its sole principal, is on a leave of absence, according to an employee who answered the phone at his Austin office on Monday.</p><p><strong>The charges</strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzI5MDAyNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwMDA0MzEyN30.sktSex_AukYSA2h9wi2h4V37tL69mjtCekdxf1WXkcA/img.jpg?width=980" id="a7408" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7ccb2168fe3a638ec0e6ba651f78d759" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">David Osborne (Austin Police Department)</small></p><p><br/></p><p>Because police reports and arrest affidavits on active court cases are not considered public record in California, few details have been released about the allegations or the evidence. Formal charges were filed on May 17, 2019.</p><p>The following Tuesday, May 21, Osborne was booked into the Travis County Jail at 2:39 p.m. He posted bond in lieu of $100,000 bail and was released at 4:24 p.m. the next day.</p><p>The Monterey County Sheriff's Office posted the news about his arrest <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MontereyCountySheriffsOffice/photos/a.1419920161557359/2342372799312086/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">on its Facebook page</a> and thanked Austin police for their help. </p><p>Austin police declined to immediately release documents related to the arrest, claiming they fall under public records laws in California.</p><p>Osborne was arraigned on the charges in Monterey County and entered a plea of not guilty on June 28. </p><p>That same day, the judge approved a restraining order banning him from any contact with the victim. </p><p>On Dec. 12, a judge postponed a preliminary hearing over the objections of prosecutors. It was reset for March 19, 2020. </p><p>At that point, proceedings became tangled in pandemic-related shutdowns and the hearing was moved to June 4. </p><p><strong>The firm</strong></p><p>Osborne Advisors say on their website that they manage some $200 million in assets for their clients. </p><p>The firm operated in Dallas for 10 years before expanding into Austin in 2012, specializing in managing money for former professional athletes, according to a<a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20121205005433/en/Osborne-Advisors-Expands-Austin-Office-New-Service" target="_blank"> news release</a> published on Business Wire.</p>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzI4OTkwMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNjg4MTUwNn0.xi5445Vg-3NNdQzFBJSl9tVrWkeZadgmtILP6kkAYCU/img.jpg?width=980" id="189b5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="255a1a5f2ac40b7bad0dcef6bd14c68b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="pebble beach lodge" />
The Lodge at Pebble Beach (forcdan/Adobe)
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Charlie L. Harper III
"The calls are getting much, much more violent," said Det. Ken Casaday. (Charlie L. Harper III)
People in Austin are stressed out, financially unstable, and stuck at home with nowhere to go—and they're taking it out on each other, Austin police said Friday.
"The calls are getting much, much more violent," said Det. Ken Casaday, president of the Austin Police Association. "People are at their wits' end. Our robbery and violent crime units are getting swamped with work."
<p>Overall crime reports, mainly property crimes, saw a slight decline in March—the month when residents started social distancing to avoid spread of the coronavirus—compared with the same month last year, according to new city crime statistics released by Austin police this week. </p><p>By contrast, violent crimes increased between 15% and 25% as compared to March 2019, according to to the Chief's Monthly Crime Report for March 2020, which lists calls for service in the various city sectors.</p><p>Specific numbers for April were not available on Friday, but Casaday said officers began to see the violent upswing almost immediately after stay-at-home orders were issued in late March. </p><p>The biggest jump in violence from February, before people were told to stay home, to March could be seen in aggravated assaults, which include stabbings, drive-by shootings and other serious attacks. </p><p>Those crimes saw roughly a 25% increase from February to March, with a similar jump as compared to March 2019, according to the report. Robberies are up about 15% from this time last year, the report showed.</p><p>"People are pent up around each other," Casaday said. "When you're not able to go out and have any type of social release, I think this is what you're going to get."</p><p>Significantly, March is the month when tens of thousands of visitors descend on Austin for SXSW—historically resulting in more targets for crimes as well as more people committing them.</p><p>SXSW was canceled last month, but the numbers are still slightly higher in some categories than March last year, when SXSW attendees partied for more than two weeks. </p><p>Homicides are double for the year what they were by now last year, though that increase has been seen monthly since the beginning of the year, according to the report. There were five homicides in March, and four in February, the report said.</p><p>Burglaries, car break-ins, shoplifting, theft, vandalism and pick-pocketing are all down between 7% and 36% from this month last year, the report said. </p><p>Part of that could be the decreased crowds due to the absence of SXSW tourists, but it also can be credited to people staying home all day, thwarting break-ins and similar crimes, Casaday said.</p><p>"Right now is not a time in Texas to be burglarizing homes," he said. </p>
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