CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — CCPD told 3NEWS Thursday morning that officers were patrolling an area near Leopard Street when they noticed a man in the parking lot of a closed business with several orange CCPD 'no trespassing' signs posted throughout the location.
That man was Dylan Louis Spencer, 32, who is now in the Nueces County jail on a $500,000 bond after multiple tips to Crime Stoppers connected him to the victim Craig Poole's missing van, according to Aransas Pass Police Chief Eric Blanchard.
Aransas Pass police said CCPD arrested Spencer on an unrelated charge for an active municipal court bench warrant and a murder warrant out of San Patricio County.
Spencer was transported to a local hospital to be checked out.
After he was medically cleared, he was transported to the City Detention Center where he was booked and charged for the municipal court warrant, out of county warrant, criminal trespass, and resisting arrest.
Aransas Pass police also announced late Wednesday night that they recovered the missing Mercedes van belonging to Craig Poole, the elderly man who was found murdered over the weekend.
Detectives said they were already in the area following up on leads when a Crime Stoppers tip they received led them to Parr Street in Corpus Christi where they found Poole’s stolen Mercedes.
Upon reaching the location, the detectives immediately identified the stolen van and began an hours-long stake-out, waiting for the suspect to return to the stolen vehicle before deciding to recover it in an attempt to preserve potential evidence.
That is when APPD, detectives received a call from CCPD informing them that Spencer was in custody. The two agencies worked together while searching for the suspect and vehicle.
Spencer was found in Corpus Christi around 3 a.m. Wednesday.
The San Patricio County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Tech is analyzing the vehicle, so this is a multi-agency effort.
Below is the story prior to the arrest update.
The body of a 72-year-old man was found Sunday after police say he had been dead for some time before they arrived at his home over the weekend.
"We believe that the actual murder occurred Saturday night and that was the last time he was seen alive," said Kyle Rhodes, Aransas Pass Police Department Detective Captain.
Authorities with the Aransas Pass Police Department said that violence was evident at the scene when they responded to a call to find the victim, Craig Poole shortly after 11 a.m.
The person who reported Poole's body told APPD that the man had been murdered, according to a release from the department. Police have collected evidence they say was left behind, and officers and detectives have spoken with those close to the victim.
Rhodes said there has been progress in the case and there are already suspects.
"We believe that the perpetrator was known to the victim," Rhodes said. "We are following on leads to sort that out, so that's pending."
Authorities said they learned the victim had a vehicle that went missing- a gray 2018 Mercedes van (Florida LP #NKD5B). Poole's car is said to have had distinct markings. It was captured in images released by the police department from the April 11-12.
Neighbors said they are in shock that this could happen in their neighborhood.
"I was pretty surprised about it and some of the neighbors on the street still don't know, but other than that no warning of anything like that just really quiet, never heard anything, never heard of any fighting or shooting like that," one neighbor said.
Poole lived with another elderly man who officers met with and say is not a suspect in the case at this time.