Cantu cleared in 2016 Shipley’s robbery

By Pete Banda
Managing Editor
editor@sbnewspaper.com

Back in November of 2016, news broke of a felony theft that took place at the Shipley’s Donut shop in Harlingen. At the time, three citizens were arrested, including two from San Benito. Now, full 12-months later, at least one of those three has been able to clear her name of the charges.
Sabrina Rene Cantu, who was arrested and charged with the felony, said she has spent the last year fighting to clear her name of the charges and finally has.
“It’s been so hard and has affected my life so much, but I knew I had to fight to clear my name because I did nothing wrong here,” said Cantu. “I finally got it all cleared and now just want the community to understand that I really was innocent in all this.”
At the time, the owner of the shop gave this recollection of the events:
Two men came into the shop Monday morning around 6:20 a.m. One ordered a doughnut and when he finished it, the other man ordered a cinnamon roll. The man ordering the cinnamon roll badgered his friend into buying the pastry for him, According to the owner. After his friend refused to buy the roll for him, the man said a “bad word,” This prompted the woman working the register to offer the roll to the man for free.
The man took the cinnamon roll and the cashier went to the drive-thru window to take another order. That is when a loud noise was heard and the cashier ran into the lobby to see what happened.
He saw that the two men had yanked the cashier drawer from the register and were fleeing out the front door. Henry Hout, Shipley’s owner ran out the back door of the pastry shop where he said one of the men hit him with the money box. Hout then started hitting the man back, he said.
Hout said his nephew helped push the men. Hout was able to detain Daniel Longoria until law enforcement arrived, according to the Harlingen Police Department. While Hout was holding Longoria in the back of the store, he said the other man and a woman got away in a two-door sports car. Daniel Longoria’s arrest led to the arrest of Steven Longoria and Cantu, police said.
Cantu claims she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it seems the law has agreed with her. She is longer facing any charges from the event, but still struggles with people’s misconceptions.
“I’m very well known here in San Benito and I think people saw me a little different after hearing what happened… I just hope they see that I was cleared and I can move on with my life,” Cantu added.’

Permanent link to this article: https://www.sbnewspaper.com/2017/12/18/cantu-cleared-in-2016-shipleys-robbery/

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