Everyone says he's a hero. So why won't Crime Stoppers pay out $10,000 reward?

Off-duty correctional office Hector Villarreal was hailed as a hero for his starring role in apprehending a man suspected of being the highway shooter who fired randomly at cars in western Fresno County and terrorized the region late last year.

The heroics occurred after a stranger in a pickup pointed his gun at Villarreal and his family and then followed his truck to a gas station at about 11 p.m. Jan. 8. At the Fastrip gas station, Villarreal grabbed his own gun and held Jorge Gracia, 42, at gunpoint until Kerman police showed up minutes later and arrested him, with Villarreal assisting.

Gracia, of Kerman, is charged with six counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm and faces life in prison if convicted.

A $10,000 reward had been offered through Crime Stoppers for anonymous tips leading to the highway shooter's arrest.

But when Villarreal tried to claim the reward, he was told his actions, while admirable, did not meet the criteria for getting it.

"The sheriff's department said 'We didn't use your tip to apprehend the guy or identify the guy,' " Villarreal said. "But I'm the one, and the local authorities, who actually apprehended him."

Villareal said he made an effort to meet the criteria by calling Crime Stoppers and leaving a description of what happened, but never heard back from anyone.

But that's not how Crime Stoppers works, said Susan Blaze, program manager.

For a reward to be paid, the tip must meet two tests: it must result in the case being resolved and the tipster must be anonymous. That didn't happen in this case, she said.

"Everyone is saying he's a hero, and he is," Blaze said.

There were many tips received by Crime Stoppers in the highway shooter case because of the $10,000 reward, but "we didn't use any tips" to solve the case, she said. The program relies on the sheriff's office to verify if any tip information was used to solve a case, she said.

Crime Stoppers is funded by donations that pay the rewards and an annual June fundraiser that raises money to cover administrative costs, she said.

Last year, Crime Stoppers received 2,145 tips resulting in 325 arrests, and the organization paid out $81,000 in rewards. The goal is to expand the program, she said.

She said it's designed to protect sources who have information leading to an arrest and solving a case. Anonymity is crucial to the program's success, she said.

In fact, there's a state law that anonymous sources can't be subpoenaed, she said. She said former Assemblyman Henry T. Perea pushed for the law's enactment.

Although Villarreal may have called in a tip anonymously, he's been very public about his role in the drama, she said.

Only once before has Crime Stoppers had a situation like Villarreal's where the reward claimant did not meet the criteria, she said.

Said Sheriff's spokesman Tony Botti: "We truly appreciate everything he did."

It's possible that a private donor might want to give a reward to Villarreal that is independent of the Crime Stoppers program, he said.

But Botti noted that if an off-duty deputy helps apprehend a suspect as Villarreal did, the deputy wouldn't be allowed to accept a reward because law enforcement officers are supposed to protect the public, both on and off duty.

"As a law enforcement officer, if you are paid or given something by a private citizen with an expectation of something in return then it's not ethical and is considered a gratuity," he said. That applies to officers both on and off duty, he said.

An inquiry to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation about the agency's policies governing off-duty heroics could not be immediately answered, spokesman Bill Sessa said. He said he submitted an inquiry to the agency's legal department.

This story was originally published March 27, 2018 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Everyone says he's a hero. So why won't Crime Stoppers pay out $10,000 reward?."