Another day, another example of Lubbock’s signature blend of horror and incompetence. According to police, 30-year-old Michael Valdez allegedly sexually assaulted a woman after approaching her with a handgun, dragging her into an alley, choking her, and threatening to “beat the s*** out of her” if she dared scream. Because nothing says “welcome to Lubbock” like random alleyway violence in broad daylight.
The victim managed to escape when she saw her boyfriend’s headlights—apparently the only useful form of intervention we can reliably count on—and Valdez ran off. Authorities quickly issued an arrest warrant and tracked him down thanks to gas station surveillance footage, which, let’s be honest, has solved more Lubbock crimes than half the local agencies combined.
Police arrested him for the sexual assault… and also for driving with a suspended license, which feels like the most Lubbock twist imaginable. Sure, he’s accused of one of the worst crimes imaginable, but hey—let’s tack on that spicy traffic violation just to make sure justice really sticks.
Valdez is now in the Lubbock County Detention Center on $101,000 bond, which is just enough to say “we’re taking this seriously” but not enough to make anyone feel better about how often this kind of story shows up in the news cycle.
At this point, should Lubbock just install GPS trackers in all its alleys and gas stations to save time?
https://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/local-news/valdez-arrested-sexual-assault/
