HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — Juan Pablo Cabrera, 34, the father of murder suspect Juan Sandro Cabrera, was arrested Friday after being listed as an absconder from parole on Feb. 19, 2019, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections website.
His 18-year-old son, Juan Sandro Cabrera, is the suspect in the Feb. 16, 2019, shooting death of 14-year-old Troy “T.J.” Wells at the Hampton Inn in Holland Township.
Juan Pablo “John Paul” Cabrera was sentenced to three years in prison on Feb. 6, 2017, in Ottawa County’s Grand Haven Circuit Court, for a 2015 beating incident after which he was charged with two felonies, first-degree home invasion and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder.
Ottawa County Sheriff’s Capt. Mark Bennett said Cabrera was found near U.S. 131 and 32nd Avenue in the City of Holland, and that Holland policeand Sheriff’s deputies took him into custody without incident.
Bennett said detectives have interviewed 36 people, so far, related to Wells’ murder, and police have obtained multiple search warrants. Police believe Wells murder is gang-related. Juan Pablo Cabrera’s brother, Joe “Joe Pete” Cabrera, is one of 31 suspects arrested in a 2013 gang sweep in the greater Holland area. Joe “Joe Pete” Cabrera was sentenced to nearly eight years in prison with three years’ post-prison supervision, in 2014.
Bennett said that gang sweep, aided by U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms investigators, “put a huge dent” in Holland-area gang-related crime, but police have seen a slight uptick in recent months.
Police continue asking the public for tips regarding Juan Sandro Cabrera’s location, so he can be arrested and charged. People wishing to remain anonymous can contact Silent Observer, which pays cash rewards for tips leading to arrests and convictions, at (877) 887-4536; text OCMTIP and the tip to 274637, or submit an online tip via www.mosotips.com.
