Austin, TX
Austin police arrest 6 people after 'unusually deadly' surge of opioid overdoses
Police in Texas have arrested six individuals after an unusually deadly string of nearly 80 drug overdoses, resulting in nine fatalities last week.
The Austin Police Department arrested 45-year-old Ronnie Lamar Mims, 30-year-old Marcellus Dion Barron, 32-year-old Kanady Arkangelo Rimijo, 50-year-old Gary Joseph Lewis, 47-year-old Denise Horton, and 27-year-old Guy Len Allen.
FOX 7 Austin reported that according to court documents, the six individuals were charged with felony possession or delivery of a controlled substance.
But during a press conference Tuesday, Austin Police Department Lt. Patrick Eastlick told reporters none of the suspects in custody were directly linked to the victims of the overdoses last week.
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Ronnie Mims booking photo (Austin PD)
At about 9 a.m. on April 29, Austin-Travis County EMS personnel began responding to a sudden surge of opioid-related calls.
The calls came from the downtown portion of Austin, then began spreading to all areas of the city.
Austin Chief Deputy Medical Director Dr. Heidi Abraham said at the time that on a typical day, emergency personnel could respond to between two and three overdose calls. On April 29, crews had responded to at least 30 calls, but by the end of the week, they had responded to 80 overdose calls, which resulted in at least nine deaths.
“We haven’t seen a spike in overdoses of any kind like this since we dealt with K2 in 2015,” Austin-Travis County EMS Capt. Christa Stedman told FOX 7.
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Denise Horton booking photo (Austin PD)
In response to the surge, Eastlick said members of the Organized Crime Division, Narcotics Support Unit, and other divisions of the Austin Police Department began conducting targeted undercover investigations in areas where there was an increase in overdoses.
In particular, the investigations homed in on the downtown section, North Austin and South Austin.
The undercover operations resulted in numerous arrests related to narcotics, but Eastlick wanted to be clear that none of the individuals arrested during the investigations were linked to the overdoses.
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Gary Lewis booking photo (Austin PD)
“The purpose of these operations was to try to identify dealers responsible and the sources of the narcotics which caused the overdoses,” he said.
Eastlick also said during the operations, they seized various narcotics such as crack cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana, which contained fentanyl.
The department said it does not come across marijuana laced with fentanyl often, but has seen it in the past.
“It is concerning to us, not only with marijuana, but with all the substances that are being mixed with fentanyl. And it’s a concern that all people should have when consuming illicit narcotics,” Eastlick said. “And that’s one of the risks…is you really don’t know what’s in it.”
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Kanady Rimijo booking photo (Austin PD)
Investigators theorize that when crack cocaine is purchased, the dealers end up mixing it with other substances like fentanyl to create more volume and make more money, Eastlick explained.
So, what potentially happened is between people selling crack cocaine to other dealers and then to buyers, fentanyl was mixed into the batch.
“These mixtures aren’t done in labs, and so there’s no scientific approach to it,” Eastlick said. “So, potentially too much fentanyl…got mixed in with the substances and caused the overdoses that we saw.”
Historically, he said, many of the narcotics dealers in Austin are considered street level, or they are out to make a profit for themselves, as opposed to being part of major organized crime.
Court documents obtained by FOX 7 show that when APD arrested Mims, he was allegedly in possession of fentanyl-laced cocaine in his pants, which was discovered after Narcan was administered to a man he was with. Mims has been charged with third-degree felony possession of a controlled substance.
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Marcellus Barroin booking photo (Austin PD)
Lewis and Horton were allegedly inside a car with baggies of drugs, which they are accused of distributing and taking money from a dealer. The two were arrested and charged with second-degree felony fentanyl possession after the marijuana inside the vehicle tested positive for fentanyl.
The station also reported that Rimijo and Barron were arrested for selling crack cocaine to an undercover officer. Rimijo reportedly had marijuana in his jacket pocket, and all the drugs in their possession tested positive for fentanyl.
Rimijo faces first-degree felony delivery of a controlled substance and Barron faces second-degree felony delivery of a controlled substance.
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Police and EMS received an unusually high number of calls for drug overdoses in Austin, Texas, last week. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The sixth suspect arrested was Allen, who police claim was with another man when the two of them were involved in a drug deal with a homeless person. Officers allegedly found meth-laced marijuana inside Allen’s car inside a drug-free zone near a day school, and he was charged with first-degree felony possession with intent to distribute.
Eastlick advised the public to be mindful of suspicious activity in their communities and reach out to police if they see something of concern.
He also had a message for those selling drugs in Austin.
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“Stop. Stop spreading the poison that’s affecting our community,” Eastlick said, adding that police do not know what they are selling or how.
According to the Austin-Travis County EMS, opioid overdoses returned to their typical levels on Monday, though police could not say whether the bad batch of drugs had left the city.
Austin police and Austin-Travis County EMS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
KERRVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — The City of Kerrville issued a shelter-in-place Thursday morning, with heavy rain causing reported evacuations early Thursday morning. A Flash Flood Warning is currently in place for Kerr County as the Guadalupe River continues to rise.
Around 5:30 a.m., the National Weather Service said a “large and deadly flood wave is moving down” the Guadalupe River.
KXAN First Warning Weather Meteorologist Kristen Currie said approximately 11 inches of rain have fallen northwest of Kerr County since 10 p.m. on Wednesday. The Guadalupe River is expected to reach major flood stage in multiple areas.
Kerr County PIO Lisa Walter said “there have been multiple swift water rescues and evacuations.” Officials emphasized not to drive through flooded streets and to turn around if water covers the roadway.
Evacuations were underway in multiple areas, according to the county, including:
- Goat Creek
- Arcadia Loop
- Lowery/Guadalupe area
- Junction Highway low-water crossings
- Other low-lying neighborhoods
Emergency shelters are open at Impact Church (Goat Creek evacuation point), Calvary Temple Church and City West Church for people in West Kerr County, the county said.
Here are the latest headlines:
Live updates
7:03 a.m.: KXAN’s Kevin Baskar is in Gillespie County providing updates on the latest flood conditions in the area. Watch his update below.
6:37 a.m.: Kerr County officials emphasized not to drive through flooded streets and to turn around if water covers the roadway.
Evacuations were underway in multiple areas, according to the county, including:
- Goat Creek
- Arcadia Loop
- Lowery/Guadalupe area
- Junction Highway low-water crossings
- Other low-lying neighborhoods
Emergency shelters are open at Impact Church (Goat Creek evacuation point), Calvary Temple Church and City West Church for people in West Kerr County, the county said.
6:27 a.m.: Video shows emergency crews hauling boats and rescue equipment through Kerrville.
6:15 a.m. NewsNation correspondent Xavier Walton and his photographer captured a structure being swept up in river water and crashing into a Kerrville bridge. The structure appears to be some sort of shipping container, pushing against the bridge.
Watch the video below:
6:08 a.m.: Kerr County PIO Lisa Walter confirms “there have been multiple swift water rescues and evacuations.”
6:02 a.m.: The Guadalupe River at Center Point is expected to crest at 35 feet, which is the same crest as July 4, 2025.
5:57 a.m.: The National Weather Service said “a large deadly flood wave” is moving down the Guadalupe River.
5:49 a.m.: The Comfort Volunteer Fire Department said it has units in Kerrville and Centerpoint alerting people along the Guadalupe River. They’re helping Kerr County with evacuations along Highway 27 between Comfort and Centerpoint. They said all VFD personnel are OK.
5:30 a.m.: The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that it’s received reports of “street flooding in Ingram, and it’s likely many roads and city streets are flooded as well.”
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As flood threats continue across parts of South Central Texas, Austin Pets Alive! has activated emergency response efforts to support animal shelters affected by the inclement weather.
In a social media post, APA! wrote, “We began offering aid last night, working to secure fosters for 10 dogs in the Castroville shelter, an open-air shelter that sits at the bottom of a valley.”
APA! said the situation escalated overnight with additional shelters reporting flooding. One shelter confirmed that floodwaters reached its facility, APA! added.
Communities overwhelmed due to weather include Uvalde, Castroville and Sabinal.
The nonprofit is asking the Austin community to foster, adopt or donate to free up capacity for animals displaced by the disaster. APA! needs to clear out its facilities to assist the animals in need of shelter.
Here are ways you can help:
- Adopt: APA! is offering a “Name Your Own Adoption Fee” on all animals.
- Foster: The shelter is seeking foster homes for a minimum of three weeks.
- Donate: Proceeds will fund vans and response teams setting up a staging and triage center at the heart of the disaster zone, along with an expanded stockpile of preventatives, PPE and additional supplies.
If you would like to donate, click here.
AUSTIN, Texas — With heavy rain expected across parts of Central Texas this week and flooding top of mind, the city of Austin is proposing to put more money toward flood mitigation improvements in next year’s budget.
The proposal would invest in new flood infrastructure, add staff, and help move flood mitigation projects forward, according to city leaders. Austin City Councilmember Ryan Alter said the investments are aimed at keeping the city prepared for future flooding.
Residents who live near waterways say they have seen how quickly conditions can change. David Haderspeck, who lives near Shoal Creek, said the creek “fills up pretty fast” and “gets a lot higher than you’d expect.” He said he has watched the water rise dramatically after rain.
“I’ve seen it come up probably 10 to 15 feet to the ordinary high-water mark,” he said.
This week, parts of Central Texas, including the Hill Country, are expected to get heavy downpours. While Austin is not expecting the same impacts as parts of the Hill Country, leaders said the city is using this year’s budget planning to continue investing in flood safety.
Alter said the city has the expertise to address flooding risks but needs to follow through on projects.
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“We have the experts. We just have to put the plans into practice, and that’s what we’re doing in this budget,” he said.
Under the budget proposal, the city would provide about $134.5 million for the Drainage Utility Fund, which helps pay for flood mitigation, drainage infrastructure and watershed protection efforts.
Alter said the proposal would shift more of the funding balance toward building new infrastructure.
“What we’re going to do is shift that balance a little bit more to building new infrastructure so that when we do have large flooding events, we’ve got that infrastructure in place to keep people safe,” he said.
The proposal also adds staff and invests in both new and existing flood mitigation projects across the city.
Asked whether the proposed investments would be enough moving forward, Alter said, “I do…I think we’re doing the right thing and just making sure that our residents have the infrastructure to stay safe.”
Alter said heavy rain cannot be prevented, but the city’s goal is to have infrastructure in place to help keep people safe when it happens.
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