ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- Earlier this month, an investigation into a storage building burglary led the Odessa Police Department to arrest seven people connected to multiple theft cases. Eddie Medrano, Chrystal Medrano, Cody Walters, Marissa Collins, Elijuwon Johnson, Maryna Anaya, and Victor DeVora Blanco have all been charged with Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity and Theft of Property Greater Than $30,000 but Less Than $150,000.
According to an Odessa Police Department report, on October 5, officers were called to the 5100 block of E University after a man called 911 and said his storage building had been burglarized. The man told investigators that his lock had been removed and replaced with a different lock and he’d lost thousands of dollars’ worth of property. Security cameras at the storage facility aided officers in the investigation, which ultimately led them to an address in the 2500 block of Huntington Avenue.
At that location, officers met with the homeowner, identified as Chrystal Medrano, who gave them consent to look inside her garage; inside that garage, officers said they saw multiple items reported stolen from the storage building “in plain view” and requested a search warrant for the property. During a subsequent search of the home, officers said they found the items stolen from the storage building as well as multiple stolen firearms reported in other cases, and a stolen boat reported out of Howard County.
In fact, officers said they found stolen property in “nearly every room of the home”. The victim who reported the storage building burglary said officers recovered about $45,000 worth of his property inside the home and OPD said the total value of the stolen goods they found was likely much higher. An investigation is still ongoing to determine the full value.
In an interview with investigators, Chrystal said that her husband, identified as Eddie Medrano (who was not on scene), would often bring “a lot of property” to the home for her to sell. She said she “figured it was stolen”. She also told investigators that Collins, Johnson, Anaya, and Blanco all lived with her in the house where the stolen goods were kept. However, they all denied knowledge of the numerous thefts.
Additionally, officers later found a Harley Davidson Motorcycle that had been reported stolen from the storage building at a home on W 23rd Street. That home belonged to Walters, who was reportedly in possession of the stolen motorcycle, which prompted investigators to request another search warrant where they also recovered tools that were reported missing from the storage building; items valued at more than $36,000.
Chrystal Medrano, Walters, and the other roommates were all taken into custody on October 5. Chrystal and Anaya have since bonded out of jail after each posting a $30,000 bond. Walters has bonded out on a $60,000 bond. Johnson, Collins, and Blanco all remained in custody as of Wednesday afternoon on a $30,000 bond, $45,000 bond, and a $60,000 bond, respectively.
Eddie Medrano was arrested on October 11 and remained in the Ector County Law Enforcement Center as of Wednesday afternoon; his bond has not yet been set.
