SMDR Year in Review: SMPD suffers loss, community rallies with support

Editor's note: This story is part of a series capturing moments in 2020.

Tragedy struck the San Marcos Police Department multiple times in 2020. But each time the San Marcos community responded with support. 

In March, SMPD Officer Paul Beller was struck by a motor vehicle on Interstate 35. Beller was dispatched to the area of Exit 205 on I-35 for a call of lumber in the roadway. As Beller exited his patrol car, he was stuck by a passenger car, officials said. Following the accident, Beller was transported by ambulance to a trauma facility in the region, where surgery was performed. He continues to recover from injuries. 

The community rallied behind Beller and his family with a barbecue fundraiser at Tacos Flor Taco Stand. The well-attended event raised approximately $9,000, according to SMPD. 

On April 18, SMPD Officer Justin Putnam was killed and officers Franco Stewart and Justin Muller were injured in an ambush. The officers responded to an assault/domestic violence case at the Twin Lakes-Villa Apartments — 2917 Hunter Road — at approximately 6:05 p.m. on April 18. The suspect, later identified as Jose Alfredo Perez DeLaCruz, ambushed the officers with a rifle while wearing body armor as they entered the apartment. DeLaCruz was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Putnam, 31, was a five-year SMPD veteran. He was the second police officer killed in the line of duty in San Marcos history.

“We lost a fine young man, a faithful officer and friend last night,” then-Interim Chief of Police Bob Klett said. “He graduated from Texas State University, magna cum laude, so he understood what it took to police a wonderfully diverse community like San Marcos and a college community.”

Putnam was brought home from the Travis County Medical Examiner’s office April 20 with a procession of hundreds of police and first responders, and community members watching on the streets. 

Mueller and Stewart were both released from the hospital in early May. 

On June 7, the San Marcos Police Officers Association and Tacos Flor hosted a barbecue benefit at the San Marcos Activity Center. The event raised funds for the families of Putnam, Mueller, Stewart and Beller, who were wounded in the line of duty.

Mueller returned to the SMPD office in June, and Stewart made his return on Sept. 28. 

Chief of Police Stan Standridge, in his first interview on the job with the Daily Record, said he’s had to address the impact of acute and chronic trauma on decision making for officers both on and off duty, referencing the department’s recent loss of Putnam 

“There hasn’t been a funeral or even a memorial service for Officer Putnam. You have a lot of unaddressed trauma in this department and it’s beginning to manifest,” Standridge said. 
He later said during Dec. 21’s Chief’s Advisory Panel meeting that a date  has been set for a memorial for Officer Putnam. Standridge, however, didn’t reveal the date.

Although the department saw tragedy in 2020, it also saw triumph with the return of Officer Claudia Cormier, who lost her right leg when she was hit by an SUV on Interstate 35 while on duty on May 18, 2019. Cormier returned to SMPD Headquarters on Aug. 17. Alongside the department’s help in her return, Cormier also said she’s drawn strength from the community’s support.

“Everywhere I go people recognize me and it’s nice to still hear that they’re praying for me, that they went to fundraisers,” Cormier said. “...It’s really nice to know that, especially with everything that’s been going on in the world. It’s nice to know people are still praying for me and they’re still very supportive.