Wanted Lubbock man accused of illegally using dead father's bank account
Texas troopers on Tuesday arrested a 43-year-old man authorities believe illegally used a debit card belonging to his father whose body was found in October dumped in a field in East Lubbock County.
Daniel Lopez Jr. was arrested in the 2200 block of 26th Street a day after Lubbock County Sheriff's Officials publicly sought help finding him, saying a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to a Lubbock Sheriff's Office news release.
Lopez was booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center on a charge of credit card or debit card abuse of an elderly person. His bond is set at $150,000.
Investigators believe Lopez Jr. knew his father was dead when he used his father's debit card, which he was not authorized to use, according to court documents.
The charge against Lopez stems from an investigation that began when Lopez' father's body was found Oct. 14 in a field in the 11300 block of east County Road 7300, according to court records.
The body's decomposition indicated that he'd been dead for several months, court records state. However, the records do not disclose a cause of death and investigators are awaiting autopsy results.
About 10 days later, a tipster provided information that helped investigators identify the body as 70-year-old Daniel Lopez Sr. The tipster also said that the person who dumped Lopez's body in the field was still benefitting from Lopez's bank account, which was still receiving Veteran's Affairs benefit checks, according to court records.
Investigators also found a missing persons report filed for Lopez Sr.
Investigators reviewed Lopez Sr.'s bank records at Prosperity Bank and found that he filed a fraud report saying there were unauthorized withdrawals from his bank account.
The bank records also showed the man's banking pattern changed 10 months before, which is when investigators suspect he may have died.
Video footage from the security cameras of the bank's ATMs show Lopez Jr. using his father's card to make withdrawals on Oct. 3, 5 and 7.
"It was quite obvious that Daniel Lopez Sr. was deceased on the dates these transactions were made," an investigator noted in a probable cause affidavit filed.
Investigators also learned the father and son lived together in an apartment in the 1700 block of 26th Street but were evicted in late September. However, the investigation indicated that Lopez Sr. had not been seen at the apartment for months before the eviction, court records state.
On Oct. 27, investigators spoke with Lopez Jr. to inform him of his father's death. Lopez Jr. reportedly told investigators that he had not seen his father since June or July, saying the VA sent a shuttle to fetch his father to take him to a nursing home facility. VA records dispute Lopez Jr.'s statement, according to the court document.
Jail records show he was arrested in the 2200 block of 26th Street, by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Man accused of illegally taking money form dead father's bank account
