CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Daniel Esparza is facing a new day and a slew of charges as he finds himself in the Nueces County Jail without bond.
The Corpus Christi Police Department arrested Esparza Friday at 11:07 a.m.
Senior Officer Jennifer Collier with the Corpus Christi Police Department's Public Information Office said they received an email that Esparza was wanted and had additional outstanding warrants. Officers with Directed Patrol had then been instructed to be on the lookout for Esparza.
On Friday at 11:07 a.m., officers spotted Esparza driving a blue passenger car on the 5900 block of Saratoga Boulevard and pulled him over. They arrested him on six outstanding warrants. Four of the warrants were for theft with bonds of $10,000 each. Shortly after his arrest, he was taken to a hospital for medical clearance and taken to the City Detention Center.
Eventually, Esparza was booked at the Nueces County Jail at 2:30 a.m. Saturday.
As KRIS 6 reported, Esparza, who also goes by Daniel Saenz, failed to appear in court for three separate hearings in the last two weeks.
Judge Sandra Watts issued five warrants for his arrest this week after he failed to show up in her court for his scheduled hearings on Tuesday, September 10, and Friday, Sept 13.
Esparza's troubles began on August 19 when according to police, he was involved in a disturbance with his landlord on the 1500 block of 19th Street. According to Corpus Christi police, Esparza gave them a false name when they arrived at the scene. Once they learned his true identity, they arrested him for giving false information. While frisking him, officers found a small bag of cocaine.
He was charged with failure to identify and possession of a controlled substance.
At the time of his arrest, he was serving five years probation for a separate drug charge.
On August 29, Esparza was scheduled to appear in court but didn't. After the hearing, the judge was told Esparza was in the hospital. Then, Esparza failed to appear for his second hearing in the same court on September 10. During that hearing, Watts received a letter that appeared to be sent from a doctor. According to that letter, Esparza was scheduled to undergo an "Emergency Surgery Intervention."
However, a Nueces County chief constable who was unsure if the letter was real visited the physician's office listed in the letter and learned the letter did not come from the physician. The chief constable also learned Esparza wasn't scheduled for a procedure and was not a patient of the physician.
On Friday, Sept. 13, Esparza failed to appear before Judge Watts for a status hearing.
Now, Esparza is facing seven additional charges, including a charge of possession of a controlled substance, four counts of theft, tampering with a government record, and forgery.
The new charges bring the number of charges he's facing to nine.
Many may know Esparza from various KRIS 6 investigative reports we covered on his 361 Grants program. Dozens of people said Esparza charged a $150 fee to apply for a home renovation grant they never received.
Esparza is also being sued in civil court and is accused of forging an elderly woman's signature to transfer properties into his name.
