ValleyCentral Wrapped: Our top 10 stories of the year

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — As 2024 comes to a close, ValleyCentral is taking a look back at our top stories of the year.

Our news station values reporting what is happening in your community and across the Rio Grande Valley.

Here is a list of stories that made our top 10 list based on viewership.

10. Great White Shark pinged near SPI

In 2024, a great white shark was pinged 200 yards off the shore of South Padre Island on Feb. 28.

"LeeBeth" is a 14.1 foot, female great white, weighing 2,600 pounds. She was tagged on December 2023, according to Higher Calling Wildlife.

She is tracked by an app called Sharktivity, which is supported by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, a non-profit that supports scientific research and helps improve public safety and education to raise shark conservation.

Sharktivity showed LeeBeth first pinged in the Gulf of Mexico on Jan. 1 near Florida, before traveling to South Carolina and Louisiana.

LeeBeth then pinged on Feb. 28 near the South Padre Island shore. Her latest ping was on March 1, which showed she traveled south to the Coast of Mexico near Barra de Caballos.

Source: Sharkivity

Source: Sharkivity

According to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, this is the furthest west a white shark has ever tracked into the Gulf of Mexico, making shark science history.

Leebeth traveled over 2,000 miles since she was tagged off in South Carolina.

Both Tony Reisinger with Cameron County Marine Resources and Victoria Salinas Guerra, a UTRGV student at the Coastals Lab, believe LeeBeth will migrate back up when warmer weather comes.

9. Former Edinburg football player accused of tackling ref faces new assault allegations

A former Edinburg football player accused of tackling a referee was arrested for a separate assault, documents show.

In February 2023, Emmanuel Duron was charged with assault causing bodily injury according to the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office.

^{Emmanuel Duron (Hidalgo County Jail)}

On Aug. 18, 2023, a deputy arrived at an apartment complex located on De La Madrid Street on West of Mile 4 West Road in Weslaco.

The deputy spoke with the woman, who reported that she ended a relationship with Duron, a probable cause affidavit stated.

Earlier that day, she reported that Duron texted her and told her he was outside. She went outside when Duron allegedly grabbed her with both arms and picked her up, according to the document.

“Emmanuel bit her on her neck, causing her pain,” the affidavit stated. “She managed to get back into her apartment and called the police.”

Duron was taken into custody and booked into the Hidalgo County Jail on Feb. 6. His bond was set at $1,000, and he was released from jail the same day.

8. Police: Mission duo steal $1,200 worth of groceries from H-E-B

Two people took off in a black Land Rover after stealing nearly $1,200 worth of groceries, Mission police stated.

The theft occurred on Nov. 10 at the Sharyland Towne Crossing H-E-B Plus located on 2409 E. Expressway 83 in Mission.

(Mission PD)

(Mission PD)

According to police, a man and a woman took wine, food and beer without paying. Surveillance footage shows the duo leaving the location in a black Land Rover.

Approximately $1,298.70 worth of groceries were stolen.

7. PD: Bond set at $50K for teen driver allegedly involved in deadly 18-wheeler crash

A teenager turned himself in after being accused of causing an 18-wheeler to crash into a home on June 29, police say.

The driver, identified as 18-year-old Jose Osvaldo Sanchez, was charged with criminal negligent homicide.

At a news conference, authorities detailed that Sanchez had crashed into the trailer causing it to veer off the roadway and crash into the home.

The driver of the 18-wheeler was identified as 51-year-old Anastacio Martinez Jr. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sanchez turned himself in on July 8, following his release from the hospital.

He was arraigned on July 9.

His bond was set at $50,000.

6. Wing restaurant sets record for kicking out Food Patrol

Remember, the Food Patrol is always watching! In this episode, the Food Patrol went to Gigi's Wing Shack located on 587 South Sam Houston Blvd. in San Benito not once, but twice.

Gigi’s first inspection was on Feb. 1, with 26 violations out of 74.

They were hit for hand contamination, food being touched without gloves, off-temperature foods, wrong dates and descriptions on food, toxic substances not being properly identified and a slew of good retail practice violations.

There was an improvement on their Feb. 14 re-inspection with 7 out of 93 violations. They were still hit with repeated violations like bare-hand food contact and not properly washing their hands.

All these violations can make a customer sick from contamination.

The first time the Food Patrol visited the owner was not there, but we did speak with Gigi over the phone and she agreed to have us back at a later date.

The Food Patrol did come back a week later and she let them know she was no longer interested in participating.

5. Rotten avocados, expired meat found at McAllen Steakhouse

The Food Patrol visits Winecow Argentina Steak House located at 4900 W. Expy 83 #380A in McAllen is struck with numerous violations.

Winecow didn’t do so hot on their Feb. 1 inspection, so the Food Patrol returned a couple of weeks later to see if they’d cleaned up.

However, there were more issues with this visit than the last one.

The Food Patrol found avocados so hard you could hammer a nail with them. There was also expired meat in their refrigerator.

They welcomed the Food Patrol back any other time, promising they would have the place cleaned up.

However, they might be unable to keep their word due to being understaffed.

4. Former Kumbia Kings member, PeeWee arrested in Edinburg, records show

Irvin Salinas, former co-singer of the popular 2000s cumbia group Kumbia Kings, was arrested, according to Hidalgo County Jail records.

Salinas was booked and charged with driving while intoxicated.

At 7 a.m. on Jan. 20, 2024, a Hidalgo County deputy conducted a traffic stop on a white GMC Sierra for driving 71 mph in a 45 mph zone, according to a criminal complaint.

The deputy approached the driver, later identified as Salinas, and stated he had a “heavy odor of alcohol from his breath” and was slurring his speech.

^{Source: Hidalgo County Jail Records}

The complaint stated that the deputy ordered a field sobriety test that Salinas failed.

Salinas, also known as PeeWee, was a former member of the Kumbia Kings and performed Latin hits such as “Mi Niña Bonita” and “Na Na Na.”

He was issued a bond of $1,500 and was released later that day.

3. Police: 4 wanted for public 'sexual performance' at McAllen business

Four men were wanted by police after a "male performer" had sex at a McAllen nightclub during business hours.

According to a news release, police were investigating a "show" at Santa Diabla located on the 1700 block of Dallas Avenue in Downtown McAllen.

^{Top left: Dionicio Aguirre. Top right: Diego Barros. Bottom left: Alvaro Costilla. Bottom right: Mark Anthony Watts. (McAllen PD)}

Police said that on Aug. 4, an adult male performer engaged in "deviate sexual intercourse."

Diego Rodrigo Barros, Dionicio Luna Aguirre, Mark Anthony Watts and Alvaro Costilla were named as suspects in the investigation.

Dionicio Luna Aguirre was arrested Wednesday, August 28, and was booked into the Hidalgo County Jail on a charge of public lewdness.

Mark Anthony Watts and Alvaro Costilla were arrested Thursday, August 29, at the Dallas Fort Worth Airport on charges of promotion of prostitution and tampering with evidence.

Diego Rodrigo Barros was arrested on Sept 5, 2024, after he turned himself in to McAllen police.

2. DPS: Woman killed by wrong-way drunk driver on causeway

A woman was killed after a McAllen man was driving on the wrong way of the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway, Texas Department of Public Safety said.

According to a news release, the two-vehicle crash occurred at 1:45 a.m. on June 2, on the eastbound lanes of the causeway.

A preliminary investigation revealed that a 2023 white Ford F-150, driven by 48-year-old Hugo Ernesto Lara of McAllen, was going westbound on the eastbound lane.

^{Hugo Ernesto Lara was charged with intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle. (Source: Cameron County Sheriff's Office inmate list)}

The release stated, that Lara crashed into a 2008 red Kia passenger car, driven by 20-year-old Mariah Desiree Enriquez of Edinburg, who was traveling eastbound on the causeway.

Enriquez died at the scene of the accident. Lara was arrested and charged with intoxication and manslaughter.

He was then transferred to the Cameron County Jail and was arraigned at 9:38 a.m. Lara was charged with intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and given a bond of $350,000.

1. U.S. Coast Guard warns of ‘multiple’ shark attacks, sightings at South Padre Island

On July 4, South Padre Island officials confirmed one person was transported to a hospital following a severe shark attack.

The first reported shark attack happened at approximately 11 a.m. along Beach Access 14, near Wanna Wanna Beach Bar and Grill.

South Padre Island police and fire departments provided immediate treatment to the victim.

Eyewitnesses told ValleyCentral the chaos and aftermath that endured during the first reported shark attack.

“The lifeguards were trying to get people out of the water and everyone’s yelling to come out,” Ashley Silva said. “It was a pretty scary sight with all the blood and everything.”

The U.S. Coast Guard advised beachgoers at SPI to not go into the water after two confirmed shark bite incidents and two additional encounters were reported.

The U.S. Coast Guard added that multiple sharks were seen near the shoreline.