The Aransas Pass police department is urging people to not give into aggressive panhandling.
Police Chief Eric Blanchard says several businesses have filed criminal charges against one individual who they claim is harassing customers and employees.
“She got mad at the clerk at this convenience store and decided to just poop on the floor,” says chief Eric Blanchard.
The woman is in a wheelchair and is seen in various locations throughout town.
Blanchard says officers have tried to help by purchasing food, paying for a hotel room, even taking her to a medical center. But she usually refuses help and goes back to panhandling.
“She had told one of our officers that she was making $200-$300 in panhandling a day, all that money going to feeding drug habit,” says Blanchard.
With criminal charges on the rise, business owners want her off the street.
Blanchard says his department does not have the medical resources to assist her but the St. Patricio County Sheriff’s department does.
Sheriff Moody tells us he does not have the personnel for the amount of medical treatment she requires. He says she belongs in a hospital and not a prison cell.
Which is why Blanchard is urging the community to refrain from giving panhandlers money and instead to donate to local charities.
“They like to stay where they know they have a drug supplier, they know they can panhandle and prey on the good graces of the community,” says Blanchard.
