BLUNTZER — For the past few weeks Facebook posts about people getting robbed at gunpoint on the side of the road near Bluntzer off FM 666 and FM 624 has a lot of folks on high alert.
Some say these Facebook posts are misleading, and others say they are true. Either way, neighbors in this area are very concerned.
“I have heard there has been a couple of people being pulled over, being shot at, and I believe that is definitely true because it was from our fire department, and I don’t believe our fire department are liars," resident Linnie Norvell said. "They may be isolated cases, but, either way, if they are happening, whoever is doing this needs to be stopped,” said resident Linnie Norvell.
Robbers in this area are either faking car trouble or finding victims that really do have car trouble.
“A vehicle pulled up behind him, and supposedly, the gentleman had a pistol and requested his cell phone and his billfold, and the subject complied, and the people drove off. That was in November. We probably have had, that I know of, two or three since then, and those are probably in the last 45 days,” Jim Wells County Constable Precinct 3 Jim Long said.
People in the Bluntzer area want to have a role in making their community safer so Norvell brought neighbors in her area together with the Nextdoor App to be proactive.
“Right now we have anywhere from 84 to 100 something people that belong to our App. It is in this whole surrounding area, wherever I want it. Everybody stays informed; it lets people know when there is a car here that shouldn't be here. If somebody gets something stolen or if their livestock is out, it is just a handy App all the way around,” Norvell said.
This smartphone app aims to reduce crime by connecting residents, security cameras, and police. Here is some advice for those living in this area.
“I don’t care if it’s right here in my front yard or if it’s at Walmart, or driving down the road, know your surroundings. That is probably the best advice you can give anybody,” said Norvell.
“But if you see anything suspicious, if you can do it safely, try to get a license plate number, description of the vehicle, and call 911,” Long added.
