Chief’s Weekly Report

From the Desk of Chief Ray Schultz,

We found ourselves waking up this morning to below average temperatures for this Holiday weekend. Hopefully by now everyone has taken all the necessary precautions to deal with our cold weather that should last until sometime Monday afternoon. While the coldest part has passed, temperatures will continue to be near freezing, requiring extra care of outdoor pets and plants.  Exposed pipes should also remain covered until later in the week. We will continue to monitor the weather for any unexpected changes.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve meaning that there will be lots of last-minute shopping. If you are one of the folks who need to run to an area mall, grocery store, bank, or other business, remember to not let your guard down. Keep all packages out of sight and locked in the trunk. Park in well lit areas and always make sure that your vehicle is locked. If stopping by a bank or ATM, scan the area both before exiting your vehicle and upon re-entering your car. Be cautious of anyone following you as you proceed to your next destination. If you think that someone may be following you make a couple of extra turns and if the vehicle continues to follow you, drive to the closest police station.  If you are near the villages, drive to any one of the 3 villages police stations, Memorial Villages, Hedwig Village or Spring Valley Village.

On Wednesday evening a special Hunters Creek Farmers Market was held at the First Congregational Church. We want to thank everyone who stopped by and wished us a Merry Christmas and who enjoyed the market. I have attached a few photos from the event to this newsletter. On my way home from the farmers market traveling on I-10 I found myself needing to avoid not one, but two DWI drivers. One was so bad that he was traveling 40 MPH, weaving from lane to lane.

Over the course of the next week, we can expect to see plenty of drunk and/or “high” drivers across the metro area. Drunk drivers in the villages will be arrested and their vehicles towed. Please remain aware and on the look-out for drunk drivers as we want everyone to have a safe holiday week.

There is a scam email showing up in many resident’s mailboxes this week. The email appears to be real and even includes graphics that resemble the US Mail Service.  The email tells you that a package needs to be delivered to your home but there is a problem as the package delivery has been suspended. If you respond you are told that additional postage is due. If you receive one of these emails just delete them, do not respond, and do not provide them with a credit card or debit card number and CCV or PIN code. I have attached one of the emails to this V-Linc so you know what to look for.

Our night-shift team has been busy submitting pictures of area homes decorated with Holiday lights.  We will continue to post the photos on the MVPD Facebook page. The officer who submits the best photo will be given a gift card for a BBQ dinner, so if you see an officer taking a photo of a police car in front of your decorated home that is what he/she is doing.

“Stormy the Pet Rock” was finally found this week after a 3-week hiatus and returned to the MVPD. The person who found and returned her was given a stormy doll as a reward. Stormy was happy to be back at the PD, but she was able to once again get away. She didn’t go too far, and someone reported seeing her near Frostwood Elementary School. Stormy likes to lay under a tree, so once again, if anyone finds Stormy the Pet Rock, return her to the MVPD and claim your reward.

Our college winter-break intern has finished up a video review of the 2022 Twinkle Light Parade. Please check out the short video at     (84) 2022 Twinkle Light Parade Recap - YouTube  And plan now to join us next year for an even bigger 2023 Twinkle Light Parade.  

On behalf of the entire staff of the Memorial Villages Police Department we want to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday Season and a Merry Christmas.  We are blessed to a part of such a great Community. Enjoy this weekend with your families and loved ones. We will maintain staffing and be available to respond to events as necessary.  If you will be going out of town, please do not forget to register your home for the house watch program. You can do that either on-line or by giving us a call at 713-365-3700.

This week our staff got together and created a Special Christmas Video, titled “The Night Before Christmas in the Villages” check out the video on our Facebook page on Christmas Eve sometime around 6 pm.

Merry Christmas,

Ray Schultz rschultz@mvpdtx.org

Weekly Crime Report

Piney Point

12/17/22 at 0045 Hours. 11400 Block of Memorial Drive. Unlawful carrying of a Deadly Weapon. Officers stopped a vehicle traveling on Memorial after observing a traffic violation. Upon approaching the driver, officers could smell the odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle.  A search of the vehicle located 12 bags of marijuana, a scale, and a loaded handgun. The 28-year-old male was placed under arrest and booked into the Harris County Jail. The vehicle was towed, and the drugs and weapon were tagged into evidence.

12/17/22 at 1615 Hours. 11500 Block of Memorial Drive. Recovered stolen Motorcycle. Officers were dispatched to the area in reference to an abandoned motorcycle parked on private property. A check of the motorcycle showed it to be stolen out of Houston. The motorcycle was recovered and towed from the scene due to the ignition being damaged.  Information was provided to detectives for their follow up investigation.

12/21/22 at 1300 Hours. 11300 Block of Iris lee. Theft. The victim reported that a watch was missing from her home. The victim had been wearing the watch and had taken it off. Later when she went to retrieve the watch, she realized it was missing. The victim had questioned a housekeeper about the watch, and she stated that anyone who wanted to ask her about the watch needed to talk to her attorney.  The victim has terminated the housekeeper.  Information about the missing watch was obtained and entered into the stolen property database. Detectives are following up on the case.

12/21/22 at 2300 Hours. 200 Block of Heritage Oaks. Possession of Marijuana 2 – 4 oz. Officers stopped a vehicle driving in the area that was unregistered. Upon approaching the driver officers could smell the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle located multiple containers of marijuana. Both occupants stated that the marijuana belonged to them. One of the subjects had 2 prior arrests for possession of marijuana. The DA’s Office was contacted and told the officers to refer both subjects to the Marijuana Diversion Program? The 34- and 23-year-old males were both cited into the court diversion program and released. The marijuana was tagged into evidence.

Bunker Hill

12/18/22 at 1600 Hours. 200 Block of Gessner. Driving While Intoxicated (DWI). Officers stopped a vehicle after observing that it was displaying a fraudulent paper license plate. Upon approaching the driver officers detected the odor of alcohol on the driver.  The driver failed a series of sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. The driver was also found to not have a drivers license and had been arrested twice before for DWI. A blood test was performed, and the 32-year-old male was then booked into the Harris County jail.

12/21/22 at 1830 Hours. 11700 Block of Timberknoll. Theft of a Package. The victim reported that her Ring camera alerted her to activity at her front door. A review of the video footage showed a male subject wearing a green jacket and black pants take a package before leaving in a small dark SUV type vehicle. Information about the theft was collected and provided to detectives for their follow up investigation.

Hunters Creek

12/19/22 at 0915 Hours. 800 Block of Country Lane. Credit Card Abuse. The victim reported that upon examining a recent credit card bill she located 4 charges that had been charged against her account but with a different credit card number.  A check with the credit card company showed that a second card had been sent in October that the victim did not receive. Information about the account numbers was obtained and provided to detectives for their follow up investigation.

12/19/22 at 2345 Hours. 1 -100 Block of Reichert Farms. Eluding.  Officers had stopped a vehicle on I-10 near Chimney Rock. After the vehicle stopped and as the officer exited his police vehicle the suspect’s vehicle fled.   Officers did not pursue the vehicle due to road conditions and for safety concerns. Minutes later the vehicle wrecked in Spring Valley where the suspect fled on foot. Shortly afterwards MVPD responded to a call of a male subject on the porch of a home in Hunters Creek asking for help. Upon arrival officers located the subject who was the same person who had fled from officers earlier. The male subject was found to be a missing person. The 20-year-old male was placed under arrest and booked into the Harris County Jail.

12/21/22 at 0900 Hours. 700 Block of Creekside. Identity Theft. The victim reported that he received an invoice from Verizon for the purchase of a new I-Phone and for new cell service that he did not authorize or execute. The victim contacted Verizon who refused to close the account unless a police report was provided.  Officers obtained information about the account, wrote a report, and provided information to detectives for their follow up investigation.