Lufkin Police Respond to Shots Fired Near Elementary School

Lufkin Police made arrests today in two separate incidents. One of those involved shots fired near an elementary school, the other stems from an incident of indecent exposure that happened two weeks ago.

INDECENT EXPOSURE ON THE AZALEA

Thursday afternoon, Lufkin Police arrested a man identified as the suspect who exposed himself to a woman on the Azalea Trail earlier this month.

Officers took Justin Larnell Ethridge, 35, of Lufkin, into custody at 4:22 p.m. at his home on Englewood Drive without incident on a charge of indecent exposure.

Through the course of their investigation, detectives identified Ethridge as the suspect in an incident on August 17 in which he allegedly exposed himself to a woman walking the trail. She told officers that he followed her while still exposed after she quickly walked away from him. Ethridge fled on foot toward Lufkin Mall after she told him she was calling the police.

Ethridge’s sex offender status stems from two previous indecent exposure convictions.

He will be issued criminal trespass warnings for all city parks, including the Azalea Trail.

The case remains under investigation.

DEADLY CONDUCT ARREST

Lufkin Police arrested a man earlier this afternoon following a report of shots fired near Coston Elementary on Trenton Street around 1:15 p.m.

Cristian Salazar, 20, of Lufkin, was taken into custody after he admitted to firing rounds from an AR-15 at trees in his backyard in the 1300 block of Avalon Drive. The home butts up to Coston Elementary’s playground. Teachers heard the shots, and the school was placed on “lockout” as a precaution.

Officers responded to the area and quickly confirmed that the shots did not come from the campus. Witnesses who heard the shots directed officers to Avalon Drive which led them to Salazar.

He was placed under arrest without incident and taken to the Angelina County Jail on a charge of deadly conduct.

Parents were notified of the incident by school officials.