Victim outraged after police mailed citation to assault suspect, no arrest made

A Baytown woman is recovering after being assaulted by her ex boyfriend, but now her family says they’re outraged to find out the ex wasn’t arrested. He was simply mailed a citation.

Victor Vasquez Bejarano is a convicted felon with a long criminal history. Elizabeth Georgy broke up with him about three weeks ago after he’d been abusive. When he returned to her home on Saturday to drop off some belongings, she says he punched her in the face again.

“He hit me so hard that I had to literally peel my lip off of my braces,” said Georgy. 

She called 911, but when police arrived, her ex was gone. Police took a report. She called police Monday to check on the case.

“I was just trying to see if they’d made an arrest yet or something, ma’am, ‘cause I’m scared to leave my house,” Georgy told the operator on the phone at Baytown Police Dept. 

“The individual involved in this case was mailed a citation for assault family violence,” the operator at Baytown Police told her.

Georgy lives with her mother who says she’s now afraid for the family’s safety.

“Police are supposed to be protecting us, and they didn’t, because they mailed him a citation that he’s gonna go pay off," said Raquel Mares, Georgy's mom. "You know, 'I’m free, and I'ma go hit her next time I see her again.”'

Police searched for the suspect at a couple of addresses, but couldn't find him. With the suspect gone, police had to go on the evidence they did have, said Lt. Steve Dorris, public information officer for Baytown Police.

“Without being able to talk to the second half, what the officer decided to do was make a judgment call, which was to issue a citation for Class C Assault to Mr. Bejarano,” said Dorris.

It’s not uncommon for Baytown Police to issue misdemeanor assault citations via mail, said Dorris.

“I don’t think they do enough on domestic violence," said Georgy. "I think that they’re letting people off on domestic violence too easy.”

“I quite frankly disagree with the assessment that officers don’t take it seriously," said Dorris. "We take family violence cases extremely seriously.”

If you know someone dangerous is on their way to your home, Dorris recommends calling police ahead of time, that way an officer can be there to ensure nothing bad happens.

If you’ve called police and still don’t feel safe, you can call the Houston Area Women’s Center.

“They can call anonymously and talk about their situation, and one of our crisis counselors is able to assess their situation and respond with a safety plan in addition to talking about options and rights that they have available," said Celinda Guerra, manager of hotline services for Houston Area Women's Center.

How to reach Houston Area Women's Center:

Domestic Violence/Information & Referral Hotline: (713) 528-2121

Sexual Assault Hotline: (713) 528-RAPE