City of Eagle Pass Youth Baseball and Softball Fields Vandalized

By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Copyright 2014, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

The City of Eagle Pass youth baseball and softball fields were vandalized by unknown individuals on Saturday, July 12, 2014, during the early morning hours between 1 A.M. to 8 A.M. by turning on their water sprinkler systems or placing a water hose on home plate causing flooding on the fields while state and sectional youth tournaments are being played or going to be played on these fields.

In an earlier article published in the Eagle Pass Business Journal, the Eagle Pass Independent School District Softball Complex was vandalized by breaking the locks on three manual water sprinkler boxes and opening the sprinklers causing severe water damage and flooding in the four fields, affecting a current Little League Texas West-Section 3 Softball Tournament.

The City of Eagle Pass Merle “Leo” Brown Baseball and Softball Field in Fort Duncan Park was also vandalized with unknown individuals attempting to open the water sprinkler system and leaving a water hose open on home plate causing flooding damage. City of Eagle Pass Public Works Department personnel were called to repair the water flooding damages around home plate caused by the vandals’ leaving their own water hose open near home plate.

Eagle Pass American Little League President Pedro “Pete” Ramirez called the Eagle Pass Police Department to file an offense report of the damages and criminal mischief caused by the vandals. Ramirez stated that he left the Fort Duncan Little League fields at 1:15 A.M. after closing down for the night during the current Texas West-Section 3 Tournament being played there and the fields were just fine then. When Ramirez returned later on Saturday, July 12th, morning, he discovered the water damages and flooding caused by the vandals. Ramirez stated that it is a deliberate and intentional criminal act against the City of Eagle Pass youth baseball and softball fields.

Texas Little League District 35 Administrator Gerald “Gerry” McCrary announced that the vandalism on both the EPISD Softball Complex and Fort Duncan Little League fields is an intentional criminal act hurting the youth of Eagle Pass and out of town teams as well as the businesses of Eagle Pass who benefit from these tournaments being held in the community.

McCrary also announced that the Texas West-Section 3 Softball Tournament Championship games scheduled for Saturday, July 12th, at 7 P.M. and 9 P.M. at the EPISD Softball Complex have been relocated to the Leo “Merle” Brown Field at Fort Duncan Park.

Another City of Eagle Pass youth baseball fields vandalized were the Thelma Neal Chittim Park fields on Veterans Bouldevard on Saturday, July 12th, between 1 A.M. and 8 A.M., announced Cal Ripken Baseball League President Marcial Reyes. Reyes stated that three state tournaments were scheduled to start on Saturday, July 12th, at 9:30 A.M. but had to be postponed until 2 P.M. while volunteers worked on water flooding damage in home plate of both fields by unknown individuals who left a water hose open and placed it on home plate. The vandals brought their own water hoses and connected them to water spigots and opened the water around the home plate area. Reyes stated that this is a clear intentional criminal act by unknown individuals.

McCrary, Ramirez, and Reyes are baffled by the intentional criminal mischief against the City of Eagle Pass and EPISD baseball and softball fields on the same date and between the same hours of 1 A.M. and 8 A.M. All three agreed that whoever committed these criminal acts must have knowledge of the water sprinkler systems and water sources of these fields.