Ernesto Villazana, (Hall County Department of Corrections, Courtesy)
GRAND ISLAND — A Grand Island teen facing charges after gunfire struck vehicles and a bedroom where the residents and their child were sleeping at the time had his case bound over to district court.
Ernesto Villazana, 18, is unlawful discharge of a firearm, a Class 1D felony; two counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony, a Class 1C felony; criminal mischief – over $5,000, a Class 4 felony and tamper with witness, Class 2 felony.
A preliminary hearing was held on Wednesday, Nov. 12, probable cause was found in the case except for the charge of theft by unlawful taking, which was dismissed on the motion of the prosecutor without prejudice.
The case has was bound over to Hall County District Court, a future court date has yet to be set.
According to an affidavit submitted in county court, on Sept. 8 at 2:10 a.m., officers with the Grand Island Police Department responded to the 400 block of W. 16th St. in reference to gunfire striking a home.
The residents told officers their home had been hit with bullets and officers located a bullet hole in the siding of the house that had continued through the wall.
The officers noted the bullet traveled through the wall of the master bedroom and struck directly above the bed where the two adult residents and their juvenile child had been sleeping at the time. A bullet was located on the south side of the mattress.
Officers in the area of the 400 block of W. 17th St. flagged officers down and said that their windshields had been smashed in and they had multiple bullet holes in both vehicles. Multiple shell casings on the street near the two vehicles were located during the investigation.
A witness in the area reported he had observed a 2000’s model pickup driving westbound at a high rate of speed after he heard the gunshots.
On Sept. 11, officers received a report of shoplifting at the Casey’s location on W. Capital Ave. The video footage showed a 2002 GMC Sierra pickup at the location. A passenger would exit the vehicle, enter the Casey’s and then run back to the vehicle holding two objects.
On Sept. 18, the GMC Sierra pickup was observed at the Chick-fil-A location on Conestoga Dr. Officers contacted the driver of the vehicle and the passenger, identified as Ernesto Villazana.
The driver stated on Sept. 8, he had parked near the intersection of W. 17th St. and Cedar St. He said that Villazana and another male exited the pickup and walked toward the 400 block of W. 17th St.
They said the two had been gone for around 15-20 minutes before he heard the gunshots.
Later on Sept. 11, the driver said he had been instructed to pull into the Casey’s parking lot and Villazana had entered the store and allegedly returned holding two cases of Modelo alcohol.
Villazana would be arrested and booked into the Hall County Department of Corrections on Sept. 18.
