Brownwood News – Two Brownwood men were taken into custody Thursday afternoon, March 19, and face drug and firearm charges.  Frank Hinojosa and Tory Cottrell, both age 18, were arrested. Cottrell was charged with two (2) charges of possession of dangerous drugs and Hinojosa was charged with Theft of Firearm. Both were shown to have bonded out of jail on Friday, March 20, according to Brown County jail records.  The investigation is continuing and more charges are expected to be filed.

   
Frank Hinojosa  and Tory Cottrell

According to David Mercer, Early Chief of Police, the Early Police Department obtained search warrants for two locations in Brownwood where stolen property was believed to be hidden.  The locations were at a house in the 1400 block of Avenue E and a house in the 2500 block of 16th Street.  The Brownwood Police Department and Early Police Department had been investigating reports of motor vehicle burglaries over the past few months.  The agencies began a joint investigation into the crimes which developed enough probable cause for the search warrants.

Due to several of the stolen items being weapons, the Brown County SWAT Team was called to execute the warrants at approximately 3:30 pm Thursday, without incident.

Detectives from Early Police Department, Brownwood Police Department and Brown County Sheriff’s Office searched the homes along with the suspect’s vehicle. Several items of evidence were recovered including several stolen guns.

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According to Chief Mercer, it is important to note that all the vehicles that were burglarized, in both Brownwood and Early, were unlocked. Everyone who owns guns needs to be responsible with their weapons and keep them secured in a safe place from the wrong people and away from the reach of children. We want to encourage everyone to lock your vehicles regardless of whether you are at home or at a store and to lock your guns up.