From the Desk of Chief Ray Schultz,

In this week’s crime report you will read about a residential burglary that most likely would not have occurred if the victim had followed what should be regular protocols whenever you leave your home. We understand that it is easy to get into a routine and think that you are only leaving for a short period of time and that since we are in such a safe community, nothing will happen. Unfortunately, that is when a crime is most likely to occur. In this case, the alarm was not properly set, the video doorbell live feed was not checked when it alerted the homeowner, and the optional recording service subscription was not currently active. 

I regularly remind residents to always set your alarm, each and every time you leave your home unattended, even if it is only for 3 minutes. If you have a video doorbell or surveillance system, use all available options, especially notifications of activity or activation's and review every live feed notification. If the notification is from a doorbell, answer. Let the person know that you are aware someone is present on your property and ask what they want. Do not let them know that you are not home. Keep available subscriptions service options active, paid up and operational. Alarms must also be operational, turned on and current (paid up).

In the case described, I believe the suspect most likely saw the victim leave the home and then approached the home. After ringing the doorbell and receiving no response he very likely knocked on the door too. Upon not receiving an answer or acknowledgement via the video doorbell he decided to break into the home. After gaining access, he most likely saw the alarm was not activated and he then took his time rummaging through the home. 

We share this information not to embarrass anyone, but to help educate our community so we do not have additional criminal activity. We want the criminals to be so afraid to come into the villages that they avoid the area all together. To make that happen we need your cooperation too. We will do our part and hold them accountable; we just ask that everyone lock their home and car doors, set alarms, install and use video doorbells and video systems and most important – call in any and all suspicious activity, persons, vehicles or events.  Working together we can take on these thieves and hold them accountable.

Thanks go out this week to “Big Chicken” (Shaq’s chicken place) for dropping off dinner on Tuesday evening for our night team and to the residents who provided 2 sets of Astro’s tickets for games. Lots of happy people here this week!

This week we began to transition our dispatch equipment back to the downstairs communications center. The new location will help improve our efficiency and operations. A special thanks to the staff of Harris County 911 for updating our 911 equipment and for making the moves easy. No interruption of service or lost calls.

Don’t forget to register for the May R.A.D. class. Women’s self-defense training, for women by women.  Learn how to protect yourself in a safe, easy to learn environment from our team of professional law enforcement trainers. Contact Officer Michelle Owens for more information or to register at mowens@mvpdtx.org

Great work this week by Spring Branch ISD PD with a couple of precautionary lock-downs at Memorial High School and Memorial Middle School as the result of nearby criminal investigations. It is always better error and the side of caution and safety and that is what happened when a couple of criminals ran from officers heading in the direction of area schools.  

Happy Cinco De Mayo today. Everyone have a great (albeit warm and humid) weekend. Chief Ray Schultz rschultz@mvodtx.org  

Weekly Crime Report

Piney Point

4/29/23 at 1415 Hours. Area of Blalock and Memorial. Burglary of a Habitation. The victim reported that she had left the home at approximately 1150 Hours. About 15 minutes later, she had received notice from her video doorbell that someone was at the front door, however she did not check to see who was there. Upon returning home approximately 2 hours later she found the front door broken and that her home had been entered. Officers discovered that someone had kicked open the door and entered the home going through drawers and cabinets. A safe was found to be missing from the home. MVPD detectives arrived and processed the scene.  The alarm system had not been set and the video doorbell did not have the recording service active. Detectives are following up on the case and checking the area for any nearby cameras.

4/29/23 at 2215 Hours. 400 Block of Piney Point. Driving While Intoxicated. Officers initiated a traffic stop after observing a vehicle speeding on Blalock Road. Upon approaching the driver, officers observed signs of intoxication and asked the driver to perform a series of sobriety tests.  The driver performed very poorly on the tests and needed to balance himself on the side of the vehicle. A subsequent breath test showed a blood alcohol level above .15%. The 45-year-old male was placed under arrest and booked into the Harris County Jail.

5/4/23 at 1715 Hours. 500 Block of Dana Lane. Identity Theft. The victim reported that he received notice from his bank of a change of address request to NJ.  The victim had not made requests to change his address and definitely not to New Jersey.  The transfer request was cancelled/denied, and the postal service notified of the activity. Information about the account and NJ address was collected and provided to detectives for their follow up investigation.

Hunters Creek

5/1/23 at 1845 Hours.  11500 Block of Memorial Drive. Unlawful Use of a Vehicle. Officers were alerted to a stolen vehicle entering the villages on Memorial Drive at Creekwood. Officers were nearby and quickly located the vehicle. Upon stopping the vehicle officers detained the 3 occupants and found the steering wheel column to be broken and a screwdriver being used to start the vehicle.  The 3 occupants stated that they did not know each other, but all lived in the “hood” near one another, and they were on their way to the tax office. The DA’s Office was contacted and accepted charges on the subjects aged 50, 42 and 39. The 3 were booked into the Harris County Jail and the vehicle recovered and towed.

5/1/23 at 1930 Hours. 10700 Block of Memorial. Unlawful Use of a Deadly Weapon. Officers initiated a traffic stop after observing a car make an unlawful turn from the wrong lane of traffic. Through the course of conducting the traffic stop, officers located marijuana and a firearm in possession of the driver. The 37-year-old male was placed under arrest and booked into the Harris County Jail.

5/4/23 at 0700 Hours. 10800 Block of Roaring Brook. Identity Theft. The victim reported that she was notified that a new bank account had been opened utilizing her personal information. The victim, however, had not opened any new accounts. The bank was notified and the account frozen. Information about the account was collected and provided to detectives for their follow-up investigation.  

Bunker Hill

5/1/23 at 1045 Hours. 12000 Block of Memorial Drive. Burglary of a Motor Vehicle. The victim reported that he had parked his unlocked vehicle at the Tennis Club for a short period of time and that upon returning to his car he found that several items were missing.  Information was collected and provided to detectives for their follow-up investigation.

5/2/23 at 1030 Hours. 300 Block of Chapel Bell. Theft. Officers were dispatched to the area in reference to the theft of tools from a construction site.  The victim reported that a yellow vehicle pulled up to the work site at which time a black male exited the vehicle, ran up and grabbed the toolbox before returning to his car and driving away. Officers reviewed a nearby ALPR camera and located the yellow vehicle and the license plate that shows a registration out of Austin, Texas.  Detectives were notified and have taken over the investigation.