From the Desk of Chief Ray Schultz,
Thank you to everyone to helped us on Wednesday afternoon
with the gas leak and the emergency closure of Blalock Road at Greenbay/Quail
Hollow. Even though the construction crew flaggers abandoned their posts, our officers
quickly moved from their just finished school zone traffic assignments to the
gas leak location. Our court bailiffs were finishing up court duty and responded
to help during the sweltering heat. We notified SBISD of the situation and
emergency closures and while most buses were able to be stopped and rerouted
before beginning their routes some had already left. MVPD officers assisted in
getting students home who found themselves on the wrong side of the street
closure safely home. Additional signage
and barricades were put in place and CenterPoint emergency crews were quickly
on location. Our dispatch center answered
scores of calls from concerned parents, area residents and motorists. It was an
all-hands-on deck kind of afternoon. Even our detectives and admin staff found themselves
with assignments. Unfortunately, the drive home cut-through traffic did not
heed the signage and continued all the way to the road closure before learning
they really did have to turn around as the road was REALLY closed.
As traffic turned on to side streets,
they learned that 90% of our streets are dead-ends or cul-de-sac’s. Landscaping
trailers found themselves having to back down long streets before being able to
reverse course and get out of the area. A special thanks to the residents whose
homes were inaccessible and parked their vehicles and walked home, we appreciate
your cooperation and understanding of the situation. By 6 pm the leak had been
sealed and the roadway reopened. Great job MVPD!
Shortly after the gas leak situation was under control,
we had a couple of criminals visit the area. This
particular group we have not seen in about 2 years, and last we heard they were
in Florida, but it appears they are back. On 8/16/23 at approximately 6 pm, a
male subject, either Anglo or Hispanic knocked on a Bunker Hill residents door
asking to walk the yard with her. The male started he was with the city. Not
feeling comfortable with the situation, the resident asked for a business card.
The male stated they were in his vehicle. The male went to the vehicle but then
quickly left the area. While officers were investigating that situation, about
20 minutes later, we received another call, this time from a resident in
Hunters Creek. The resident in Hunters Creek
stated that a male, either Anglo or Hispanic, with a thin moustache, wearing a
white ball type cap with sun flaps, and who had a slight accent had just come
to his door stating that he was from the city water department and needed a water
sample. The victim allowed him to take a
sample from a spicket. The male then
went to his vehicle and did something with the water, returned and stated the
water was fine. The male stated that he would be back shortly to post signage on
the door. Also becoming suspicious of
the subject, the homeowner asked for a business card. At that time, the male
quickly changed the subject before getting into his SUV and leaving. The
homeowner also observed that the SUV was also occupied by a second unknown
male. The male suspect at both locations was wearing a light blue patterned
button up shirt with tan pants and a white ball cap w/sun flaps worn low to
cover part of his face. The suspect vehicle was found on an area ALPR camera.
The vehicle is a brown Saturn SUV displaying a fraudulent temporary Texas
license plate of 2993J29. (Photos attached) Anyone seeing this vehicle or
suspect(s) is asked to please call the MVPD immediately at 713-365-3700. Under no circumstances should you let these
suspects into your home or allow them to get you to walk away from an unlocked/unsecured
door, as the second suspect will burglarize your home while the first suspect distracts
your attention. If you have older neighbors who live nearby and who do not
receive our V-linc messages, please share this information with them as this
crew has targeted older residents in the past. MVPD detectives are working hard
on this case.
More great work by MVPD patrol officers last Friday
evening. The stolen vehicle that had been seen in the area of Warrenton and
Valley Start earlier in the day, returned shortly before 5 pm. MVPD officers
began searching the area and once again located the vehicle as it was exiting
the community and turning onto Memorial Drive. As officers attempted to stop
the vehicle the car crossed over into on-coming and quickly accelerated. The vehicle
quickly sped up to over 90 MPH weaving in and out of on-coming traffic. The
on-duty sergeant called off the chase and the officer immediately shut down his
emergency and disengaged. He called out the last location and logged back into
service. He continued traveling east on
Memorial and just north of Briar Forest he came upon the wrecked vehicle that
was blocking the street. The suspects
had lost control when entering the corner and crashed into a light pole, sign
and a tree. The officer found a 13-year-old
male laying in the street crying out in pain with a broken leg, he also saw the
second suspect running east across the church parking lot leaving his injured
accomplice behind. The officer made
contact with the injured suspect while providing directions about the fleeing
suspect to assisting officers. Officers chased the second suspect across the
church campus and eventually took him into custody as he attempted to hide
behind a fence. That suspect (the 15-year-old
driver) was taken into custody. Both suspects were found to be wearing ankle
bracelets, were documented gang members and both have prior criminal histories.
Village Fire responded and transported both suspects to the hospital for
injuries sustained in the crash. The car was confirmed as stolen but was totaled
out in the one vehicle crash. This
incident occurred during the height of rush hour with very heavy traffic. Our officers used excellent judgement and
restraint in calling off this dangerous pursuit.
Wednesday morning was the first day of the 2023/24
school year. There were lots of happy kids and even happier parents walking and
biking to school early in the morning. The first day morning was pretty uneventful.
We had MVPD officers at each of our schools assisting school staff at crosswalks
and monitoring school zones. A couple of issues were observed and addressed by
officers, these included:
1. Runners
running across crosswalks or in the street through the crosswalks causing confusion
to drivers, crossing guards and students alike.
2. Vehicles
unloading students while in the middle of the street or while stopped at a stop
sign.
3. Drivers
not wanting to wait and making a U-Turn in the middle of a school zone.
Runners need to obey the direction of the crossing
guard, especially if children are present. When children are told to wait, and
a runner disregard and runs across the street anyway that causes confusion, and
a child could think that they can cross too. Running into the street and
through cars is also not safe and confusing.
Having students unload while in the middle of the street is also setting
a dangerous precedent. Even though the lines are long, please wait and unload
when in a safe position to do so. Making a U-turn in an active school zone is extremely
dangerous, please either just wait in line, or wait until you can complete a
safe legal left or right turn.
School zones are often chaotic, especially during the
first 10 days or so. When directing traffic, we are balancing the needs of
everyone. The safety of students and parents is always our top priority, next
it is getting school buses in and out of school property. Buses have to make
several runs each morning/afternoon, so we get them in and out, next it is parents
dropping off children and then finally our regular area commuting traffic. Traffic
delays are common, hence the reason why we remind everyone to add time to their
commutes when school starts.
Thursday during the school dismissal temperatures hit
107 degrees at Bunker Hill Elementary. Even though temps were scorching we saw
lots of kids smiling, obviously happy to be back in school.
R.A.D. for Seniors. Please don’t forget that the only RAD55
class for 2023 is scheduled for this September and early October. These classes are shorter than the regular class
sessions and are not as physical but are equally informing. Besides learning
how to best protect you and your family, you will learn about crimes that specifically
target our more seasoned residents. All classes will be held at Chapelwood and
run for 2 hours each. Dates are September 5,7,12,14,19,21,26,28,
and October 3rd and 5th . Please contact Officer Michelle Owens to
learn more or to save your place at mowens@mvpdtx.org
Have a great weekend. Remember to hydrate and keep
fresh water readily available for pets. Chief Ray Schultz rschultz@mvpdtx.org
Weekly
Crime Report
Vehicles Towed due to No Registration, No Insurance
and being driven by an Unlicensed Driver.
8/12/23 at 0900 Hours. 11900 Block of
Taylorcrest. The vehicle was stopped by officers
for displaying a fraudulent temporary paper license plate. Upon contacting the
driver, officers learned the driver had an active warrant for his arrest for driving
without a driver’s license, the driver still did not have a driver’s license,
and the vehicle was not registered and uninsured. The 58-year-old male was
placed under arrest and the vehicle towed.
8/15/23 0915 Hours. The vehicle was stopped for having
a non-visible license plate on the vehicle as it was laying on the rear window
deck. Upon checking the plate, it came back registered to a different vehicle. The
driver was found to not have a license and the vehicle was not registered and
was uninsured. The vehicle was towed,
and the driver was cited.
8/15/23 at 0930 Hours. 300 Block of Bunker Hill Road. The
vehicle was stopped for displaying an expired registration from July of 2020. The
driver was found to not have a driver’s license and the vehicle was uninsured. The vehicle was towed, and the driver was cited.
8/16/23 at 0930 Hours. 300 Block of Gessner. The vehicle was stopped by officers for displaying a
fraudulent temporary paper license plate. Upon contacting the driver, officers
learned she did not have a driver’s license, and the vehicle was not registered
and uninsured. The vehicle was towed, and the driver was cited.
8/16/23 at 1045 Hours. 300 Block of Voss. The vehicle
was stopped for displaying an expired license plate (4/2020). The driver was
found to not have a driver’s license and the vehicle was uninsured and not
currently registered. The vehicle was towed, and the driver was cited.
8/17/23 at 1730 Hours. 8500 Block of San Felipe. The vehicle was stopped by officers for displaying an
out-of-state fraudulent temporary paper license plate. Upon contacting the
driver, officers learned she did not have a driver’s license, and the vehicle was
not registered and uninsured. The vehicle was towed, and the driver was cited.
8/17/23 at 1900 Hours. 800 Block of Voss Road. The vehicle
was stopped by officers for displaying an out-of-state fraudulent temporary paper
license plate. Upon contacting the driver, officers learned he did not have a driver’s
license, and the vehicle was not registered and uninsured. The VIN number
showed the vehicle has not been registered since 2018. The vehicle was towed,
and the driver was cited.
Hunters Creek
8/11/23 at 1215 Hours. 1100 Block of River Glyn Drive.
Suspicious Situation. Officers were alerted to a suspicious situation where 2
subjects in a car had been seen going up to the front door of a home and
removing a package before leaving the area.
Officers were able to locate the vehicle on the ALPR system and obtain a
license plate. The vehicle was entered
into the ALPR Hotlist. Approximately 2 hours later the vehicle hit a different
ALPR camera on Bunker Hill Road. Officers proceeded to the area and located the
vehicle traveling on a nearby street. Upon
stopping the vehicle, officers learned the vehicle belonged to a pick-up
service that was retrieving package returns from the area. The driver had a
list of pickup locations that included residences on River Glyn.
8/11/23 at 1800 Hours. 500 Block of Lanecrest.
Burglary of a Motor Vehicle. The victim reported that she had returned home at
approximately 1445 Hours entering her home.
When she returned to her vehicle at approximately 1745 hours, she found
that an unknown person had entered her vehicle and rummaged through the
glovebox and console. The victim’s wallet had been inside the unlocked vehicle and
approximately $60 was missing from the wallet. Officers contacted neighbors who are reviewing
their video surveillance footage.
Information was collected and provided to detectives for their follow-up
investigation.
8/16/23 at 0215 Hours. 10300 Block of Memorial Drive. Recovered
Missing Person. Officers were alerted to a missing person in the area by the
ALPR system. Officers were able to locate the vehicle and initiate a traffic
stop. Officers identified the driver as the missing person. The driver admitted to leaving the home to go
and cash a check on the prior day. He
then decided to go to a bar with some friends and have some drinks. The driver stated
that his wife had most likely reported him missing due to him not going home.
He stated he did not go home because he had been drinking. The male was not
intoxicated and agreed to return home.
8/16/23 at 1115 Hours. 10800 Block of Everwood. Theft
of Mail. The victim stated that a check that he had mailed was never received by
the recipient. The victim was concerned about a possible mail theft and closed
the account and cancelled the check. Information was provided to detectives.
8/16/23 at 1820 Hours. 300 Block of Hunters Trail. Suspicious
situation, (possible attempted Burglary/Theft). Two male suspects in a brown
Saturn SUV with fraudulent paper tags went to 2 homes in the Villages in an
attempt to enter and/or distract residents. It is believed that these criminals
are part of an organized group of traveling criminals who had been in the area
approximately two years ago committing distraction crimes. Information
about the suspects was obtained and provided to detectives who are
investigating. See above for additional details.
Piney Point
8/13/23 at 0630 Hours. 11100 Block of Meadowick.
Public Intoxication. Officers were dispatched in reference to a subject asleep
in a vehicle. Upon arrival officers located a highly intoxicated female
sleeping inside of a vehicle. The female
did not know where she was or where she was going. The DA’s office declined charges
of DWI on the driver. The 28-year-old
female was cited for public intoxication and released to her mother. The vehicle
was towed.
8/15/23 at 2100 Hours. 200 Block of Kensington. Fraud.
The victim stated that he received a text that he believed was from the priest
at his church. The text used the Priest’s
name and the victim’s first name. The text asked the victim to do him a favor
and purchase 3 gift cards that the priest was going to give to ill parishioners. The victim attempted to text back the priest
but received back a message that said he was unavailable and in a meeting. The
victim went and purchased 3 - $100 gift cards. After obtaining the cards he
texted back stating he had them. He then received a response asking him to
scratch off the codes and send a picture of the cards with the codes so he
could forward them to the parishioners. The
victim complied with the request.
Several hours later he received a second request asking for more gift
cards. Becoming suspicious, the victim called the church direct and learned
that he had been scammed. Information
about the crime was collected and provided to detectives who have taken over
the investigation.
8/15/23 at 2145 Hours. 1 -100 Block of Jeffers Court.
Phone Harassment. The victim reported
that a former acquaintance has called her several times making threats of harm
against her and her family. Information
about the threats was collected and provided to detectives who have taken over
the investigation.
8/17/23 at 1600 Hours. 11500 Block of Habersham.
Fraud. The victim reported that he had been a victim of Fraud. Through investigation officers were able to determine
that the victim had been led to believe that a grandchild was in trouble and
needed assistance. The victim had provided funds via electronic transfer.
Information about the crime was collected and provided to detectives who are
following up on the investigation.
Bunker Hill
8/16/23 at 2300 Hours. 600 Block of Strey. Driving
While Intoxicated. Officers were in the area looking for a suspicious vehicle when
they observed this vehicle failing to maintain a traffic lane. Officers stopped the vehicle and upon approaching
the driver observed signs of intoxication.
The driver failed sobriety tests and was placed under arrest while the vehicle
was towed. The repeat (2 priors) 47-year-old male driver was booked into the
Harris County Jail.
8/17/23 at 1315 Hours. 200 Block of Gessner. Fictitious
License Plate. Officers stopped a vehicle for displaying a fictitious permanent license
plate. The plate in question looked very authentic except for one number being
of a different font. The driver stated that the dealer had given him the plate
but no paperwork to go with it. The driver did have proof of the sale of the vehicle
from the dealer. The plate number however came bask as registered to a
different vehicle all together. The
plate was confiscated as contraband and the driver cited. Note: the driver did
have insurance on the vehicle. MVPD
detectives will be following up with the (small) car dealer possibly being
involved in fraud.
