GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – An alleged “gang banger” is accused of repeatedly hitting a Green Bay woman and stealing her vehicles throughout 2015.
35-year-old Pablo A. Cortez is charged with 12 counts, including battery, driving a vehicle without owner consent and criminal damage to property. All of the charges have repeater enhancers.
It all started back on May 15 of that year when Green Bay police were called to a hospital for a woman who showed up as a victim of a physical disturbance.
According to that criminal complaint, the woman told officers she was arguing all last night with her then-boyfriend, identified as Pablo Cortez, because he was out with his friends instead of helping her around the house like he said he was going to.
She told police they don’t live together, but he does have a key to her house and comes over whenever he wants. Around 1:30 a.m., Pablo came over but the victim wouldn’t let him inside. Cortez threatened to kick the door open or break the glass to get inside as the two continued to argue.
Officers were told that she had gone to the kitchen to get her purse to leave, when Pablo came in. He apparently demanded to know who else was in the house with her. She then said Cortez struck her in the head a few times with his hand. The victim then fled the home, only to return a few minutes later to notice Pablo was gone. She went to the hospital because she couldn’t hear out of her left ear.
Police put out an apprehension request for Cortez after they were unable to locate him at his residence. His probation agent was also informed of what took place.
Then on June 5, police were called to the 1400 block of University Avenue for a complaint of a disturbance between a man and woman. The same woman said her now ex-boyfriend, Cortez, smashed out a window on her mom’s vehicle.
She told officers that Pablo came to her house earlier that morning uninvited, and she asked him to leave. He left the house and broke her side window on the way out. The victim also noticed that her car keys were missing. She believed he stole them and reported it to police.
Afterward they spoke on the phone and agreed to meet up at the University Avenue location so she could get her keys back. Pablo walked up and tried getting into her vehicle through the passenger side. The door was locked and he then walked around to the driver’s side.
Pablo remarked, “Don’t worry I’m not going to try and get back with you.” She replied, “Good.” At that point, Cortez got really mad and yelled, “F#$% you b@#$% I’m not going to give you your @#$% back then.” She told officers the look on his face was something she’s seen before, and it usually led to a violent attack on her.
Cortez then began to walk away and she followed him in the car. Pablo looked back at her and said, “Are you going to run me over?” She said, “If I have to I will. I want my keys back.” Pablo then punched and broke the driver’s side window. He reached into the car and pulled her by her hair. Cortez kept pulling her by the hair, trying to get her out of the car. She drove off and somehow ended up in some fields nearby.
Police were told then that Cortez has several friends in town and could be bouncing around from place to place. She said he doesn’t live at the last known address police had for him. Pablo also apparently hadn’t shown up for work in 2 weeks because he knows he’s wanted by police. He’s also walking everywhere because he knows police have identified his vehicle.
At that time, Cortez called the victim on her cell phone and she handed it to the officer. He was told police needed to meet with him to talk about the incident and he said, “No.” Cortez then hung up.
Then on September 1, police officers were called for a disturbance and auto theft in the 900 block of S. Fisk Street.
The same victim told officers that Cortez had called her and asked to meet because he wanted to give her a present. She picked him up and they drove to Colburn Park to go for a walk.
When they began their walk, Cortez started yelling at her. She told him she didn’t want to argue and started walking back towards her vehicle. When she got to the door to unlock it, Cortez grabbed her arm and put himself in the way so she couldn’t get inside.
She said Cortez wanted his phone so she gave that to him from the vehicle, but he grabbed the keys from her hand. She was scared, according to that complaint, and just looked to get away from him. She walked towards another man in a car parked in the same lot. He offered to call police for her, and give her a ride to safe spot. She left with him and met with officers.
Pablo was then called by one of the officers, who was told he had her vehicle and parked it at her house. Cortez said he, “Didn’t want to go to jail, knew he had multiple warrants and would not meet with officers.” The cops took the victim back to her house, but the vehicle wasn’t there.
The victim was uncomfortable staying alone at her house, so the officer drove her to her mom’s place. They called Cortez again and apologized for lying, but told the officer he didn’t want him to know where he was. Pablo then said he dropped the vehicle behind a Shawano Avenue business and all her stuff was in it.
At that location, the vehicle was there and the engine was still hot. She confirmed that was her vehicle and all her stuff was there.
Finally on November 21, officers were called to the victim’s home in the 800 block of Phoebe Street for another physical disturbance.
The victim told officers that her ex-boyfriend punched her and stole her pickup truck. Cops found the woman upset, with blood dripping out of her nose and her lip split open.
She told the cops that Cortez bragged about killing people in California. According to that criminal complaint, Pablo, “Had to go into hiding in Mexico for approximately a year and a half in the past, which he told her after they were in a relationship.”
The victim claimed Pablo, “Is a gang banger from California and his parents still live there. She said he has skull tattoos on his hand and he explained to her that each skull represents one person he killed.”
The woman told police that she went into her basement that day to do laundry when Cortez stepped out from behind the basement stairs. Upon inspection, officers noticed that the sliding window to the basement opened up and that explains how he got in there.
Pablo allegedly wanted to talk to her about their relationship. She said they hadn’t been together since the summer, and when they did see each other after that, he physically assaulted her.
She told him she didn’t want to talk, but he pleaded with her that he loved her and she responded that the feelings weren’t the same. This upset Cortez, who said, “Really, you don’t love me?!” She reiterated her stance, he got angry and punched her in the face repeatedly. Once on the ground, Cortez also kicked her.
She began screaming for her friend upstairs to call the cops. Once the victim got upstairs, she heard her truck start up and looked out the window to see Pablo driving away with it.
Pablo A. Cortez is due back in court March 8 for a preliminary hearing on some of the charges, and a status conference for the others. If convicted on all counts, Cortez faces over 15 years in prison.
