Mar-Mac Police District
Press Release – October/November Arrests
A criminal charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
On October 20, 2018, at approximately 4:23 pm, Mar-Mac Police responded to a residence on Eagle Drive, in McGregor, for a reporting intoxicated male causing a disturbance. While en-route, Mar-Mac Police was advised the intoxicated male had begun engaging in violent behavior.
Upon arrival, the residence was found to be in disarray. During the investigation, the male was identified as Joseph Barillas. Barillas was accused of drinking heavily over the past couple of days and became belligerent for unknown reasons.
While in contact with an officer, Barillas positioned himself in an aggressive stance which resulted in Barillas swinging at an officer striking him in the chest. With the application of defensive tactics, the officer was able to placed Barillas into handcuffs.
Barillas was arrested and transported to the Clayton County Jail. Complaint and affidavits were submitted accusing Barillas of Domestic Assault (Simple Misdemeanor), Interference with Official Acts (Simple Misdemeanor), Criminal Mischief 4th Degree (Serious Misdemeanor), and Assault on a Peace Officer (Serious Misdemeanor).
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
On October 31, 2018, at approximately 4:00 pm, a Mar-Mac Police Officer assisted a disabled motorist on Great River Road, just north of King Road, in rural McGregor.
After assisting the disable vehicle, Mar-Mac Police was notified of a gas drive off involving a similar vehicle. The officer pursued the vehicle and initiated an investigatory stop.
During the investigation, Ruben A. Olvera was identified as the driver. Olvera was found to have a revoke driving status and an active Iowa arrest warrant.
Olvera was arrested and transported to the Clayton County Jail. Complaint and affidavits were submitted accusing Olvera of Driving under Revocation (Serious Misdemeanor), and cited for Failure to Provide SR-22 Insurance, and Open Container – Driver.
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
On November 13, 2018, at approximately 6:30 pm, Mar-Mac Police Officer observed a vehicle perform an evasive action on Main Street, in McGregor. The officer followed the vehicle and observed the vehicle traveling on the wrong side of a two-way highway, and performing driving behaviors consistent to an impaired driver. A traffic stop was initiated on Great River Road, near Pikes Peak.
The driver, identified as Lisa Lynne Heller, produced an odor consistent to consuming alcoholic beverages. During the investigation, Heller was found to have an open alcoholic beverage inside the vehicle.
After participating in the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, Heller was arrested for Operating While Intoxicated and transported to the Clayton County Jail. Complaint and affidavits were submitted accusing Heller of Operating While Intoxicated 1st Offense, and cited for Open Container – Driver, Operating a Non-Registered Vehicle, and Driving Wrong Side on Two-Way Highway.
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
November 27, 2018, at approximately 9:18 am, Mar-Mac Police responded to Kwik Star, in McGregor, for a reported gas drive off that occurred on November 20, 2018, at 12:57 pm.
At approximately 10:27 am, Mar-Mac Police responded to Frontier Motel, in Marquette, for a reported theft.
During the investigation, Benjamin Joe Lechnir was identified as the suspect in the two thefts. In early 2018, Lechnir rented a room at the Frontier Motel and accumulated charges in excess of $1,000 and failed to satisfy the bill before leaving.
In regards to the Kwik Star theft, Lechnir is accused of dispensing fuel into a vehicle he was operating and failing to pay for the fuel purchase.
Complaints and affidavits were submitted accusing Lechnir of Theft 5th Degree (Simple Misdemeanor), Theft, Theft 2nd Degree (Class D Felony), and Ongoing Criminal Conduct (Class B Felony). A warrant for Lechnir’s arrest was requested.
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
Chief Robert Millin
Mar-Mac Police District
