The Smith County Courthouse in downtown Tyler is shown. (Chelsea Purgahn/Tyler Morning Telegraph/File)

Five suspects were indicted in the latest session of the Smith County Grand Jury for engaging in organized criminal activity stemming from their role in placing skimmer devices on gas pumps.

In all, the grand jury handed up indictments for 23 people on 25 felony charges in its latest session, according to the latest list sent by the District Attorney’s Office.

Nelson Fernandez-Lopez, 23, of Houston; Dairon Jimenez-Roja, 28, of Austin; Felipe Nieves-Perez, 33, of Las Vegas; Damian Paz-Santovenia, 29, of Houston; and Yoerlan Suarez-Corrales, 39, of Austin, were indicted on a first-degree felony charge of engaging in organized criminal activity. 

Police arrested Suarez-Corrales, Nieves Perez and Jimenez Roja on Aug. 24 after they returned to retrieve a gas pump skimmer that police removed earlier in the day from a gas pump at the Exxon at 858 SSE Loop 323.

Corrales and Nieves-Perez were being held in the Smith County Jail on immigration detainers and $1.5 million bond. 

Jimenez-Roja was being held in the Smith County Jail on an immigration detainer and bonds totaling $1.8 million.  

Nelson Fernandez-Lopez, 22, of Houston was arrested Nov. 14 after he was spotted by police acting suspiciously at a Tyler gas station. He was found to be in possession of several credit card skimmers.

A patrol officer with the Tyler Police Department saw Fernandez-Lopez at an Exxon gas station at Old Jacksonville Highway and Lake Placid Road at about 1:45 a.m.

The officer contacted Fernandez-Lopez because of their suspicious behavior and was able to locate numerous gas skimming devices in the suspects’ vehicle that linked them to being in possession of criminal instruments. 

Others indicted include: 

• Irma Alvarez, 35, of Tyler, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle 

• Barb Jamal Malik, 18, of Bullard, burglary of a building

• Jose Angel Noe Bermundez, 30, of Bacliff, possession of a controlled substance in penalty group 1 weighing at least 4 grams but less than 200 grams

• Bruce Robert Bettinger, 30, of Tyler, assault, family member violence 

• Finist Lee Brooks, 42, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon

• Tyjaylon Taymont Crayton, 18, of Tyler, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and burglary of a habitation

• Joseph Robert Eckenrod III, 44, of Tyler, injury to a child 

• Laura Michelle Eckenrod, 44, of Tyler, injury to a child 

• Seven Allan Hibbard, 18, of Troup, theft of a firearm 

• Kalum Kidd, 29, of Tyler, theft of property valued at $2,500 but less than $30,000

• Arien Landen, 24, of Whitehouse, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon

• James Robert Mills, 20, of Tyler, aggravated sexual assault of a child

• Sheddrich Mills, 38, of Tyler, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle

• Hunter Moses, 18, of Flint, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence

• Christopher Jacoby Lamar Pettigrew, 21, of Tyler, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon

• Larry Dsean Reece, 28, of Tyler, driving while intoxicated third or more

• Juan Prieto Retano, 28, of Tyler, evading arrest

• Tameka Nicole Spencer, 23, of Tyler, possession of a controlled substance in penalty group 1 weighing less than 1 gram and theft of property valued less than $2,500 with two or more previous convictions