A wave of significant developments across Bexar County dominated the local news landscape this week, spanning severe criminal indictments against public professionals, high-profile municipal appointments, consumer safety notices, and culinary assessments of regional staples.
In Universal City, registered nurse Jesse Daniel Skaggs, 32, was arrested after allegedly confessing to sexually abusing his infant son. According to an arrest affidavit filed in the case, Skaggs faces a formal charge of indecent sexual contact with a child. He was subsequently booked into jail, with his bond set at $125,000 as judicial proceedings began.
The investigation into Skaggs widened after his spouse informed law enforcement officers that the nurse had also admitted to assaulting two unconscious patients while working in traveling nurse positions. While universal investigators continue looking into these allegations, no additional formal charges regarding the hospital incidents had been filed at the time of reporting.
Skaggs had established professional ties within the regional healthcare community, with acquaintances noting his prior work history at Brooke Army Medical Center and Northeast Baptist Hospital. The Texas Board of Nursing confirmed it is aware of the accusations against the registered nurse, though his professional licenses remained active. Community shock rippled through the area as a former intensive care unit patient at Northeast Baptist shared unsettling past interactions with Skaggs, and a former pastor described the alleged actions as deeply evil.
In a separate criminal case, a Bexar County grand jury delivered an indictment against 34-year-old Jesse Ybarra Orta, a former band instructor at Somerset Academy Collegiate. Orta faces two felony counts of improper relationship between an educator and a student, along with one count of possession of child pornography.
The probe into Orta was initiated after a woman discovered a mobile device in his residence that contained video footage of a 17-year-old undressing. Law enforcement investigators subsequently tied the digital evidence directly to a student enrolled in his educational program. Orta resigned from his position after campus administration curtailed his access to students, and he was later taken back into custody on a supplemental charge before securing release on a $70,000 bond.
Should the case proceed to conviction, Orta faces severe legal penalties under Texas law. The second-degree felony charges of improper educator-student relationships each carry potential prison terms of up to 20 years, while the third-degree felony child pornography charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years behind bars.
Shifting to municipal governance, the San Antonio Police Department secured permanent leadership after City Manager Erik Walsh appointed Acting Police Chief Jesse Salame Jr. to formally step into the top post. Salame, a 27-year veteran of the department who previously served as a close advisor to retired Chief Bill McManus, garnered immediate bipartisan support from eight city council members during his initial introduction.
The rollout was marked by political intrigue as Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones chose not to attend the introductory announcement, remaining uncharacteristically silent ahead of the confirmation vote. The absence drew attention from observers who have previously criticized the mayor for bypassing traditional council coalition building before pivotal decisions.
Despite the initial friction, Mayor Jones subsequently met with Salame to discuss departmental priorities and shared praise for his vision across social media platforms. The appointment concluded smoothly on Thursday when the San Antonio City Council voted unanimously to confirm Salame as the city's newest police chief.
On the regional consumer front, Texas grocery giant H-E-B faced scrutiny after customers encountered mold inside select cartons of store-brand brown eggs. Several consumers took to digital platforms to share photographs and first-hand accounts of spoiled products purchased across multiple retail locations.
Company representatives addressed the reports, explaining that an isolated quality breakdown at a small farm operated by one of its primary egg suppliers was responsible for the contamination. H-E-B emphasized that only a limited quantity of brown egg inventory was impacted and announced that all affected shoppers are eligible for full refunds.
The retailer declined to name the specific farm or supplier involved, nor did it disclose the total number of cartons affected by the issue. Social media reports also highlighted occasional instances of mold within cartons under H-E-B's Mi Tienda product line, leading consumers to caution fellow shoppers to inspect raw eggs thoroughly before preparation.
Rounding out the week's coverage, the San Antonio Express-News published an extensive evaluation of the city's prominent barbecue chains, ranking regional mainstays on meat quality, smoking craft, and overall value.
Topping the dining rankings was H-E-B's True Texas BBQ, which earned high marks from the critic for its brisket, smoked ribs, sausage links, and turkey sandwich, despite receiving critiques for underwhelming side offerings and barbecue sauce. Bill Miller Bar-B-Q landed comfortably in the middle tier, with reviewers praising its budget-conscious menu and notable improvements to its core brisket and rib preparations.
Meanwhile, Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q delivered consistent smoke depth and superior side dishes but drew criticism for charging prices comparable to high-end craft barbecue establishments without fully matching that level of artisanal quality. The County Line and Smokey Mo's settled near the bottom of the rankings, with the former criticized for under-smoked meats and steep pricing, and the latter penalized for wide variations in consistency across its regional storefronts.
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