Crime In The Heights

[heights_yankee]

a bit exposed right? I mean, anyone driving by would have seen them doing it. Crazyness for sure

Oh yeah. I mean it's only maybe 30 feet from the road? Parking on that side of the store is only 2 rows of 1 car on each side. And Studewood is rarely that dead.

Some of the comments on the chron article suggest an inside job and, for once, their arguments for that scenario seem somewhat logical.

All I could think of was the guy who was picked up, mistakenly as the doggie door guy, was meeting 2 vans in the Fiesta parking lot when he was arrested. I doubt it's related but that was the 1st thing that came to my mind.

[heights_yankee]

From HKG today. At least 4 houses in Timbergrove were robbed by the guys in the black car last week.

2/8/12:

ITEM 1:

There are two Hispanic males approximately 20 years old seemingly casing the neighborhood. We last spotted them walking down Ella in the direction of 11th street (from our house). We saw them standing at the corner of Foxwood and Lindyann and immediately called the police. An officer just stopped by and said that is exactly who they are looking for related to the burglaries in the past few weeks. They were carrying a box of flyers that made it look like they were going door to door. Caley (my hubby) and I went to run an errand and when we came back, they had split up. We made the block and then saw them turn and start walking down Ella. The police officer said to Dial 911 immediately if you see anyone matching that description in the neighborhood. The cop said they are coming out every morning and they have been playing a game of cat and mouse.

UPDATE 11AM: Caley just called and said that he saw three cop cars surround these two guys. There are likely more and they are probably working in teams. Fingers crossed that we may have them scared off and perhaps caught.

ITEM 2:

Bingo! Update on the burglary at our house yesterday -- My neighbor across the street saw a new-ish black Dodge Magnum (wagon style car) speeding down our driveway facing forward yesterday at 11am. The windows were tinted like a limo so he couldn't see who was inside. They had paper dealer plates with "Tomball" written on it. I stopped by our HPD storefront behind Ross today to add this info to our case number. He encouraged me to remind you @ keeping up our level of awareness - anything suspicious can be called into 911 (if you actually see a crime in action), by calling their storefront (713-884-3131 - pls store this in your phone!!) and by emailing details of suspects and/or vehicles to centralpatrol2@cityofhouston.net

02/09/12:

An enterprising Timbergrove neighbor stopped this morning to speak with an HPD officer whose patrol car was parked in the 1000 block of Timbergrove today. He was investigating a house alarm at the time. He mentioned he investigated a break-in on Feb 7th in the 1000 block of Shirkmere. The officer said these burglars are considered professionals. They are using two vehicles: the black Dodge Magnum with the tinted windows (which we know about) and also a white Cadillac.

Apparently the routine is the white Caddy drops them off at the home to be burglarized then the Dodge Magnum picks them up with the stolen items. A person in one neighborhood saw the Caddy dropping burglars off at a home and called the police; they stopped the Cadillac but there was no evidence inside. Apparently meanwhile the Magnum had picked them up and made off with stolen items. I don't know what type of Cadillac but I am trying to find out. I'm assuming a 4-door car.

Please keep an eye out for the distinctive black Dodge Magnum and also any white Cadillac. If you see either one picking up or dropping off strangers at a neighbor's home, I say call 911 immediately and try to get a license plate. Apparently these are the droids we are looking for.

[SilverJK]

Jenni's Noodle House got broken into as well, they have video of the guy in the building, hopefully that will help officers find at least one of these crooks.

[heights_yankee]

Also, just got an email that the Doggie Door burglar was caught. The public outcry apparently put the pressure on HPD to make him a priority and they found him!

Just as an aside, he was caught with a $100 motion detected camera. While his victims have apparently upgraded their equipment, it's nice to know you can catch a guy like this on a budget.

Jenni's Noodle House got broken into as well, they have video of the guy in the building, hopefully that will help officers find at least one of these crooks.

Antidote was hit the same night. People are wondering if it was the same guys.

[Marksmu]

Just as an aside, he was caught with a $100 motion detected camera. While his victims have apparently upgraded their equipment, it's nice to know you can catch a guy like this on a budget.

I wonder if he saw the camera and stole it, or if he was using the motion detector camera to case properties by hiding it in a tree or something....it would be quite enterprising to use a camera to case a place....that would anger me to an even greater extent...just something else I have to worry about that I never thought about....

I'm already paranoid....

[RedScare]

Also, just got an email that the Doggie Door burglar was caught. The public outcry apparently put the pressure on HPD to make him a priority and they found him!

Nope. They found him the same way they find a bunch of them. After the video still photos aired on TV, an anonymous caller to Crime Stoppers ID'd him and his girlfriend, and told where they lived. A little detective work confirmed his identity and his residence. After that, it was simply a matter of finding him.

Source: I read the arrest warrant.

FWIW, he is your run of the mill crackhead. He's got half a dozen convictions. He's looking at 5-99 years on this burglary, due to a prior conviction. I will give you a hint, however. It is common for the DA's office to plea these cases cheap, perhaps even lower than the 5 year minimum. If you want to put public pressure on someone, it should be the prosecutors in the 185th District Court who will be handling his case. That will have the most direct effect on his sentence, letting them know that the public is paying attention to this case. It won't get him life or anything, but it might get the plea bargain up closer to 10 years.

[RedScare]

I wonder if he saw the camera and stole it, or if he was using the motion detector camera to case properties by hiding it in a tree or something....it would be quite enterprising to use a camera to case a place....that would anger me to an even greater extent...just something else I have to worry about that I never thought about....

I'm already paranoid....

Yes, you are. It doesn't appear that he even knew that the camera was there. He didn't take it.

[Marksmu]

I misread the previous statement to say he was caught "with" the camera ... as in he was caught in possession of a game camera that he was using.

A cheap game camera would be a very effective means of casing a residence...though I am paranoid and I know it. Paranoia leads to preparedness....while I would like to not be so paranoid, I do enjoy being prepared.

[heights_yankee]

Nope. They found him the same way they find a bunch of them. After the video still photos aired on TV, an anonymous caller to Crime Stoppers ID'd him and his girlfriend, and told where they lived. A little detective work confirmed his identity and his residence. After that, it was simply a matter of finding him.

Source: I read the arrest warrant.

FWIW, he is your run of the mill crackhead. He's got half a dozen convictions. He's looking at 5-99 years on this burglary, due to a prior conviction. I will give you a hint, however. It is common for the DA's office to plea these cases cheap, perhaps even lower than the 5 year minimum. If you want to put public pressure on someone, it should be the prosecutors in the 185th District Court who will be handling his case. That will have the most direct effect on his sentence, letting them know that the public is paying attention to this case. It won't get him life or anything, but it might get the plea bargain up closer to 10 years.

THe reason I said "apparently" is because this is what the police told the victim. In any case, had the photos not been all over the news, no one would have known to report him. It's funny because I said to Phil Archer "I hope this helps catch the guy." And Phil said "In cases like this, there's a $500 reward and his own mother will drop a dime on him." I found that amusing.

IN other news, apparently the guy who robbed Jenni's has been positively identified but HPD told her they can't pick him up because they don't have the man power right now. ???

[RedScare]

THe reason I said "apparently" is because this is what the police told the victim. In any case, had the photos not been all over the news, no one would have known to report him. It's funny because I said to Phil Archer "I hope this helps catch the guy." And Phil said "In cases like this, there's a $500 reward and his own mother will drop a dime on him." I found that amusing.

IN other news, apparently the guy who robbed Jenni's has been positively identified but HPD told her they can't pick him up because they don't have the man power right now. ???

Yeah, there are several hundred thousand arrest warrants out at any given time, and they never send a single officer or detective to pick someone up. There is safety in numbers, obviously. Given the number of warrants, and the fact that Burglary of a business is only a State Jail Felony (4th degree felony) with a 2 year maximum jail sentence, the police are going to concentrate limited resources on violent criminals and other high profile cases. Most of these warrants get served on traffic stops, or when the defendant is picked up for something else. If I remember correctly, over 80% come from traffic stops.

Sad, but true.

I did not mean to suggest that 'public outcry' did not help. Any attention will pull a case buried with dozens of others up to the top of the pile. I once contacted HPD for a friend whose ex-boyfriend forced his way into her apartment and beat her and her new boyfriend. As serious as this sounds, the report was filed as a 'burglary', because it is. Only my phone call alerted the detective division that this was more serious than your run of the mill burglary/theft case. At the time of my call, nearly a week after the incident, the case had not even been assigned to a detective, even though everyone knew who the defendant was (ex-boyfriend). Once it was pointed out that the case had an identifiable suspect, it moved quickly. The same thing happened with the doggie door burglar. Once the Crime Stoppers tip came in, the case was pulled and investigated.

This is where victims can help themselves. If your belongings have identifiers on them (such as DL numbers or other unique identifiers), check area pawn shops to see if your property has been pawned. If so, notify the detective. They tend to move quickly when they have a solid lead. When they have time, they search the pawn database themselves, but this may be months later, and your property may be sold by then. If the property is misidentified in the database, they will never find it.

In a tight budget climate where police are subject to the same constraints as other departments, victims...especially property crime victims...must recognize police limitations and help themselves. This does not include calling the detective daily and demanding, 'What have you done on my case?' It means looking for useful evidence on your own. The photos in the doggie door case are real evidence. Finding your property at the pawn shop is real evidence (since the suspect is required to give an ID in order to pawn. I have seen cases where suspects gave their parole ID to the pawn clerk.) Like everything else, those who help themselves do better.

Hope this helps.

Edited February 12, 2012 by RedScare

[RedScare]

As a boneheaded sidenote to this topic, Friday evening I was walking next door to talk to my neighbor. Since I was going to be in view of my house, I did not take my keys, and instead, was going to simply leave the front door unlocked. As I reached to push the 'unlock' button on the door knob, I realized that it had been unlocked since the last time I did this in early January. Since I often do not deadbolt my front door, this means my front door has been unlocked for over a month.

Oops.

Edited February 12, 2012 by RedScare

[barracuda]

As a boneheaded sidenote to this topic, Friday evening I was walking next door to talk to my neighbor. Since I was going to be in view of my house, I did not take my keys, and instead, was going to simply leave the front door unlocked. As I reached to push the 'unlock' button on the door knob, I realized that it had been unlocked since the last time I did this in early January. Since I often do not deadbolt my front door, this means my front door has been unlocked for over a month. Oops.

I did something similar and left my keys sitting visibly on my porch overnight one time (including my car keys). I must have gone to grab something and forgot about them. Luckily, they were still there in the morning, as was my car .

[heights_yankee]

Yeah, there are several hundred thousand arrest warrants out at any given time, and they never send a single officer or detective to pick someone up. There is safety in numbers, obviously. Given the number of warrants, and the fact that Burglary of a business is only a State Jail Felony (4th degree felony) with a 2 year maximum jail sentence, the police are going to concentrate limited resources on violent criminals and other high profile cases. Most of these warrants get served on traffic stops, or when the defendant is picked up for something else. If I remember correctly, over 80% come from traffic stops.

Sad, but true.

I totally believe this. I was just a little like "huh" that they actually said this to her, especially with the Fiesta story making the news, Antidote getting hit the same night and her (Jenni) having such good photos both inside and out.

I did not mean to suggest that 'public outcry' did not help. Any attention will pull a case buried with dozens of others up to the top of the pile. I once contacted HPD for a friend whose ex-boyfriend forced his way into her apartment and beat her and her new boyfriend. As serious as this sounds, the report was filed as a 'burglary', because it is. Only my phone call alerted the detective division that this was more serious than your run of the mill burglary/theft case. At the time of my call, nearly a week after the incident, the case had not even been assigned to a detective, even though everyone knew who the defendant was (ex-boyfriend). Once it was pointed out that the case had an identifiable suspect, it moved quickly. The same thing happened with the doggie door burglar. Once the Crime Stoppers tip came in, the case was pulled and investigated.

This is where victims can help themselves. If your belongings have identifiers on them (such as DL numbers or other unique identifiers), check area pawn shops to see if your property has been pawned. If so, notify the detective. They tend to move quickly when they have a solid lead. When they have time, they search the pawn database themselves, but this may be months later, and your property may be sold by then. If the property is misidentified in the database, they will never find it.

In a tight budget climate where police are subject to the same constraints as other departments, victims...especially property crime victims...must recognize police limitations and help themselves. This does not include calling the detective daily and demanding, 'What have you done on my case?' It means looking for useful evidence on your own. The photos in the doggie door case are real evidence. Finding your property at the pawn shop is real evidence (since the suspect is required to give an ID in order to pawn. I have seen cases where suspects gave their parole ID to the pawn clerk.) Like everything else, those who help themselves do better.

Hope this helps.

It does and I am going to pass this idea about an identifier along to both HKG and FB. I think the good thing is that most of the people who have been robbed recently have not just been sitting around waiting. They have been networking information a ton. After all, many folks who might have had pics as good as the people with the doggie door might have just given them to police as "evidence" and waited (and yes, probably hounded the detectives daily). I know recently several people have been pounding the pavement and hitting the pawn shops looking for their bikes or yard equipment, not even for the actual monetary value, but just in hopes of getting a lead that will get someone picked up. People are fed up, which is usually when they actually start to do something.

On that note, to the gun lovers who think they're going to prevent a robbery by owning a gun, one of the houses in Timbergrove had 2 guns stolen because they were robbed when they weren't home. Gun did nothing and now is in the hands of criminals. Not to start the debate again but just to say guns aren't necessarily the *best* deterrent.

I did something similar and left my keys sitting visibly on my porch overnight one time (including my car keys). I must have gone to grab something and forgot about them. Luckily, they were still there in the morning, as was my car .

I've done this, too. Smething about an equation of: 2 preschool aged boys + whatever crap of theirs I'm forced to carry + 5 years of serious lack of sleep = keys in the door or on the front porch overnight is all too common.

[RedScare]

I've done this, too. Smething about an equation of: 2 preschool aged boys + whatever crap of theirs I'm forced to carry + 5 years of serious lack of sleep = keys in the door or on the front porch overnight is all too common.

I don't have these excuses. I am apparently just stupid.

It does and I am going to pass this idea about an identifier along to both HKG and FB.

This is critical to getting your stuff back, or finding it in pawn shops, and it being useful as evidence. There are literally hundreds of red 22" lawnmowers out there, but only one with "TDL 00000000" etched on it. Alternatively, if you have recorded the serial number on an item, that works just as well. It used to be that thieves would not take items with identifiers on them, but just as alarm systems are no longer a deterent, neither are identifiers. Now, you do it to help catch the thieves and recover property.

Speaking of which, maybe we should start a database of pawn shops. Thieves tend to pawn stuff either near their home or near the crime. Obviously, we don't know where they live, but we can check the ones near where we live.

Edited February 12, 2012 by RedScare

[heights_yankee]

Speaking of stupid, apparently the kid who jacked Jenni's Noodle House had some friends see him on TV and tell his parents or something like that. While he waits for HPD to pick him up, he's been calling the Heights location and asking to speak with Jenni and apologize. He has apparently claimed it was a "bad night full of bad decisions." Gawd!

[RedScare]

If I were his attorney, I'd be doing the face palm thing right about now. Nothing like a confession to a civillian to really torpedo your case.

[heights_yankee]

If I were his attorney, I'd be doing the face palm thing right about now. Nothing like a confession to a civillian to really torpedo your case.

If he was even smart enough to have an attorney at this point. After all, he keeps proving how not smart he is.

[Flashman]

<snip>

This is critical to getting your stuff back, or finding it in pawn shops, and it being useful as evidence. There are literally hundreds of red 22" lawnmowers out there, but only one with "TDL 00000000" etched on it. Alternatively, if you have recorded the serial number on an item, that works just as well. It used to be that thieves would not take items with identifiers on them, but just as alarm systems are no longer a deterent, neither are identifiers. Now, you do it to help catch the thieves and recover property.

<snip>

I know times have changed, but back in the '80s I had my bike stolen from my garage on 23rd street in the Heights. I had the serial number and reported it to the police.

About three years later (!) the cops called me and said they had the bike. IT had been pawned, and they (or someone) had checked the S/N against the "stolen" list.

After I got the bike back (a rather expensive Trek) the cop who found it called me, and asked me to sell it to the guy who pawned it! He said he wasn't the one who stole it, and that he had been using it as a bank account. When he needed money he would pawn it, and then go pick it up when he was flush. The cop suggested I sell it to the guy for $50.

I didn't.

[Marksmu]

On that note, to the gun lovers who think they're going to prevent a robbery by owning a gun, one of the houses in Timbergrove had 2 guns stolen because they were robbed when they weren't home. Gun did nothing and now is in the hands of criminals. Not to start the debate again but just to say guns aren't necessarily the *best* deterrent.

A responsible gun owner will not have a gun in a place that a robber will either 1) find it, 2) be able to access it, 3) have the ability to use it.

Guns do not prevent crime from happening when you are not around...they prevent you from becoming a victim when the crime happens when you are around. Before I had a gun safe my guns were hidden, and I had trigger locks on them all - now that I have a gun safe they are not hidden and I only have a trigger lock on the rifle I would not use in a pinch anyway.

Not to start the gun debate again, but a criminal, determinted to commit a crime, is going to commit that crime. A gun is the homeowners tool to prevent themselves from becoming a victim....Alarms do not prevent robberies either, but I see nobody advocating making alarms illegal. A gun is one of the most important tools a homeowner can have to deter crime....If you outlaw guns from law abiding citizens, then only the outlaws will have them...if you know your victim cannot defend himself, you empower a thief even more. A gun is the absolute BEST detterrant to crime. But if you are not home, and the thief knows you are not home - then the gun is no longer a detterant and it is your responsiblity to safe guard the gun from being stolen.

The stolen guns will be sold...just like the lawmower and leaf blower. Pawn shops love guns.

[J008]

...Alarms do not prevent robberies either, but I see nobody advocating making alarms illegal.

Right, guns and alarms are similar in all other aspects. Hapiness is a warm 'alarm'.

[fwki]

Guns do not prevent crime from happening when you are not around...A gun is one of the most important tools a homeowner can have to deter crime... A gun is the absolute BEST detterrant to crime. But if you are not home, and the thief knows you are not home - then the gun is no longer a detterant.....

I don't even know where to start on this one.

[kylejack]

Home invasions are far more rare than burglaries, but in a home invasion a gun may be useful. A responsible gun owner stores his/her gun locked and unloaded in a gun safe that is not visible from outside windows.

[Marksmu]

Home invasions are far more rare than burglaries, but in a home invasion a gun may be useful. A responsible gun owner stores his/her gun locked and unloaded in a gun safe that is not visible from outside windows.

Thieves are lazy scum - they prefer the path of least resistance. The best scenario for them is they get your stuff and never see you. A thief's worst nightmare is to be confronted by an armed homeowner. Americans are safer because we have the right to own a gun to defend ourselves.

I'm not so sure an unloaded gun does you any good. Locked in a safe, hidden from view, is sufficient to be a responsible owner. Loading a gun can take valuable time that you may need in the event that you actually have to use the gun.

[fwki]

Americans are safer because we have the right to own a gun to defend ourselves.

Maybe so, but what a total PITA......I need the correct weapon, safes and locks, fresh ammo, cleaning kits, a steady hand on the combo lock during home invasion, training/practice for the whole family, quit drinking, a divorce, perfect children, cure for depression, countless hours hidden under my bed at 9am with the cars parked around the corner.....

I think I will focus on that "pursuit of happiness" thing rather than Amendment 2.1 or whatever it is

[Marksmu]

Maybe so, but what a total PITA......I need the correct weapon, safes and locks, fresh ammo, cleaning kits, a steady hand on the combo lock during home invasion, training/practice for the whole family, quit drinking, a divorce, perfect children, cure for depression, countless hours hidden under my bed at 9am with the cars parked around the corner.....

I think I will focus on that "pursuit of happiness" thing rather than Amendment 2.1 or whatever it is

Your list of needs for gun ownership seems quite extensive....perhaps it is best that you not own a gun...or vote....just saying.

[fwki]

Your list of needs for gun ownership seems quite extensive....perhaps it is best that you not own a gun...or vote....just saying.

We agree about about gun ownership anyway. Do you have a list for responsible gun ownership requirements?

[Marksmu]

We agree about about gun ownership anyway. Do you have a list for responsible gun ownership requirements?

I do not have a set list, but I am extremely safe and cautious when it comes to my guns, more so since I had kids, but you don't have to quit drinking, get a divorce, have perfect children, and find a cure for depression, before you own a gun. I realize quite a bit of that was likely sarcastic, which is why I joked that you should not own a gun or vote.

To own a gun I think a person need only not be a convicted criminal, take a gun safety class (within a year of purchase) and keep it in a responsible place...what a responsible place is will vary with your own individual circumstances....what is responsible for a single person living alone, can be a very irresponsible place if you have children or people with children may visit....there are no hard and fast rules to gun ownership.......as with everything in life, practice makes perfect. I shoot frequently, several thousand rounds per year, from a multitude of guns that I own, and I can say with absolute confidence that the more you handle a weapon, the more comfortable you become with it, and the less likely you are to make a mistake with it. It becomes second nature to handle the gun if you use it frequently. But you should not HAVE to shoot frequently just to own one....each person just needs to know and respect their limitations. If a person can not handle that responsibility or they are not comfortable with it, then they should not own a gun.

[J008]

To own a gun I think a person need only not be a convicted criminal, take a gun safety class (within a year of purchase) and keep it in a responsible place...what

Never saw anything in the bill of rights addressing any of your above concerns. Shouldn't everybody be entitled to our rights the founding fathers expressly articulated? We don't deny felons or the mentally ill due process why should we deny them 2nd amendment rights?

Luckily, the NRA is fighting to restore gun rights to felons

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/us/felons-finding-it-easy-to-regain-gun-rights.html?pagewanted=all

[Marksmu]

Never saw anything in the bill of rights addressing any of your above concerns. Shouldn't everybody be entitled to our rights the founding fathers expressly articulated? We don't deny felons or the mentally ill due process why should we deny them 2nd amendment rights?

Luckily, the NRA is fighting to restore gun rights to felons

http://www.nytimes.c...?pagewanted=all

The NRA is a single issue entity....it defends the right to own a gun above all else. The NRA supported Harry Reid as well...giving him an A+ rating as it pertains to gun ownership...I cancelled my membership over it. Personally I think Harry Reid is an idiot (and that is me being polite)....I do not think any issue can be viewed in a complete vacuum.

The NRA advocating making it a states right issue though, which makes since - The Federal government is too large and partisan these days to make many good decisions....at least at the state level it can come to a yay or nay vote quickly. State government is much more responsive to its citizens wants/needs than federal government....if a state legalizes felons owning guns, I would think it would be pretty simple to get a group of concerned voters to have that changed...much more so than if the Federal Government did so.

[fwki]

I shoot frequently.....But you should not HAVE to shoot frequently just to own one....each person just needs to know and respect their limitations. If a person can not handle that responsibility or they are not comfortable with it, then they should not own a gun.

I wish all gun owners saw it this way. Over this weekend we had the tragic shooting in the hood reminding me of the old saying "Guns don't kill people, husbands that come home early kill people." And just today I heard about the pastor's daughter killed by accident at church by some really irresponsible gun owners.

Thanks for picking up on my sarcasm, but all the rest was true, so guns aren't for me. Now at thousands of rounds per year, I suspect you own guns for sport/hobby as much or more than for protection. Now when it comes time to take back our country, I hope you're giving lessons because that voting booth just ain't working out for me.......SJL