Harris County Sheriff's Office

Prostitution Sting Johns: The Oddly Haired, The Wife-Fearing & The Guy Who Wants The Party To Keep On Going

The Harris County Sheriff's Office decided to get in the way of working women on their way to a master's in geopolitics by having itself a prostitution sting Tuesday. This time they weren't after the master's students hookers, they were after the johns. The operation focused on suspects soliciting ... More >>

UPDATED: Stabbing at Lone Star College-Cy Fair; 14 Injured, 2 Critical

A stabbing at Lone Star College-Cy Fair today has generated initial, unconfirmed reports of as many as 13 people being injured, with one suspect caught and another at large. "Several people have been transported to area hospitals," Lone Star College System Spokesman Jed Young stated in an e-mail. Y ... More >>

Metal Thieves Busted, Literally and Otherwise

A trio of thieves were caught in the act attempting to steal copper wire from a building on FM 1960 late Monday night. The break in was reported by a CenterPoint employee who was working in the area. One suspect was arrested immediately while the other two were caught trying to run from the area. T ... More >>

Burglars, Don't Let the Homeowner Disable His Own Alarm System If There's a Panic Button on It

We have to think that pure laziness played a part in the botched burglary in Humble yesterday morning. Deputies from the Harris County Sheriff's Office received a panic-button alarm from a home in the 6400 block of Ackley Drive about 4 a.m. Wednesday. How did they get that panic alarm? Like we say ... More >>

Faces Of Prostitution: Mugshots Of The Women Busted In "Operation Red Light"

The Harris County Sheriff's Office led a multi-agency investigation into local prostitution, because apparently it was time to put an end to the World's Oldest Profession On the night of February 20 eight massage parlors were targeted, HCSO says, "as follow up to the recently adopted Harris County ... More >>

Sheriff's Deputies Looking For Serial Rapist(s)

The Harris County Sheriff's Office is looking for one or two men suspected of being serial rapists in the northern part of the county Seven women have been raped by a man or men who hooked up with them through online dating services, HCSO says. Three of the attacks were done by one man, DNA evidenc ... More >>

UPDATED Three People Shot at Lone Star College

A shooting has taken place at the main campus of Lone Star College in north Harris County. Details are scant at this point, but according to other news outlets, three people were shot at the campus around 12:30 p.m. One of the people shot may be a gunman. It's also believed that another gunman got ... More >>

Nesha Kraidieh: Mom Allegedly Shoots and Kills Couch-Sitting Son

The case is still developing, but according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, a mother allegedly took the life of her 19-year-old son as he sat on a couch. On Monday, Nesha Kraidieh and her son Phillip Vanshawn Apostolo became embroiled in an argument at a home in the 5000 block of Sandydale L ... More >>

George Aragon Charged with Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child, is Brought Back From Guam

It took about a month but Harris County Sheriff's Office investigators finally have U.S. Marine George Aragon back in the United States, specifically in the Harris County Jail on charges of continuous sexual abuse of a child. The 22-year-old Aragon was picked up about a month ago in Guam but refuse ... More >>

Harris County Sheriff's Office Asks For Help Finding Who Killed Coty Beavers

If you are so inclined, the Harris County Sheriff's Office is asking for help in finding who killed Coty Beavers, who was shot to death on Monday, November 12 in his apartment. And to sweeten the deal, Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000..

5-year-old Girl Abducted from Fairbanks Library, HSO Looking For Man in His 30s

Harris County Sheriff's Department investigators are looking for a man, said to be 30 to 35 years old who they believe abducted a 5-year-old girl from the Fairbanks Library, 7122 North Gessner. Authorities are asking for the public's help in finding the man who offered the girl candy to come with ... More >>

Shawn and Dashawn Butler Discover That Harris County Deputies Are Party Poopers

Twins Shawn and Dashawn Butler had their Saturday night party all set, according to investigators. They were going to host a huge gathering in northeast Harris County on someone else's private property. But someone dialed in a tip to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, saying that the Butlers had m ... More >>

Jesus Martinez: Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Arrested For Dealing X

A five-year vet of the Harris County Sheriff's Office patrol division has been arrested and charged with possession and delivery of ecstasy. Humble resident Jesus Martinez, 30, surrendered to authorities today, the U.S. Attorney's Office says. This July "deputy Martinez allegedly aided others in th ... More >>

Early Morning Shootout At Bronco's Nightclub Leaves One Dead, Three Hurt

A wild ending to the night at a northwest-side nightclub left a security guard firing his pistol, one person dead and three injured, the Harris County Sheriff's Office and media reports said. Bronco's Nightclub in the 10000 block of Veteran's Memorial was the scene of the incident about 6 a.m. Sund ... More >>

Shonda Alexander, Killed In 2004: Sheriff's Cold-Case Squad Racks Up Another Arrest

Troy McWhorter was scheduled to be released from prison next month after serving time for theft, but now he faces murder charges in a 2004 case brought by the Harris County Sheriff's Office cold-case squad. HCSO investigators say McWhorter's DNA matches that found on the abandoned body of Shonda Al ... More >>

These Two Men Are Wanted For Murdering Alexander Segura

The Harris County Sheriff's Office has released composite sketches of two men wanted for capital murder in connection with the robbing and killing of a man on the far west side early Monday. Alexander Segura, 28, was sitting in a vehicle in an apartment parking lot in the 9000 block of Jones Road a ... More >>

Unidentified Woman, 48, Fatally Stabbed Sunday Morning, Bayou Body Count No. 99

Early Sunday morning around 1 a.m., two men broke into the home of a woman and her 16-year-old daughter in Humble according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, and stabbed the unidentified woman, 48, more than once. The incident occurred in the 8300 block of Poplar Ridge Lane in Humble. Accordin ... More >>

Unidentified Man Shot to Death, Bayou Body Count No. 101

According to reports from KRIV and KHOU, a man was shot to death at a house in northwest Houston home. The Harris County Sheriff's Office responded to a home at Grand Forest Drive and Sagecroft Drive around 4 a.m. Tuesday morning where a man was found shot to death. No arrests have been made and th ... More >>

Derrick Williams: Man Who Allegedly Shot Man in Wheelchair Turns Himself in

A man who sheriff's deputies say shot a man in a wheelchair from his car has turned himself in, the Harris County Sheriff's Office says. The HCSO says Derrick Williams, 24, stopped his Buick Roadmaster in the 400 block of Cypress Avenue Friday in far northwest Harris County and began talking to a m ... More >>

Dude Who Stole $3K English Bulldog Barks for Media

A man and woman have been accused of stealing a $3,000 English bulldog from a pet store, and if their perp walks are any indication, they have no regrets. The Harris County Sheriff's Office won't release their names or mugs until they are formally charged, but their performance in front of media ca ... More >>

100 Arrested in Highway Drug Crackdown After 900 Pulled Over for "Alleged Traffic Violations"

Memo to those involved in the drug trade: Follow traffic rules, make sure your car's registration and inspection are current and don't have any busted taillights. That's the lesson that might be learned from the recent crackdown led by the Harris County Sheriff's Office. HCSO says it pulled over 9 ... More >>

Shawn DeWayne Morris: Took Cash to Make Fictional Criminal Cases Disappear

Harris County Sheriff's Office investigators are looking for victims of a man who they say took bribes to make criminal cases disappear, The cases never existed in the first place, so it's really a service you're probably overpaying for. Shawn DeWayne Morris, 40, was arrested yesterday and charged ... More >>

Jimmy George: Sheriff's Deputy Arrested for Pretending to Work

The Harris County Sheriff's Office has arrested a 15-year veteran because he reported he was working a crime scene when he actually wasn't. Deputy Jimmy George was charged with the felony of tampering with a government record and has been fired from the force, the HCSO announced. "My deputies are ... More >>

Sheriff's Deputy Eleazar Gongora Arrested for Sexual Abuse of a Child

Bad day for the Harris County Sheriff's Office. One longtime deputy was arrested for pretending to work, and another has been taken to jail for the far more serious crime of sexual abuse of a child. Eleazar Gongora is an 11-year vet and is assigned to the Mental Health Unit in the jail, HCSO says. ... More >>

IWatch Harris County App from the Sheriff's Department Poorly Designed

The IWatch welcome screen.​The best smartphone apps meant for functionality rather than entertainment fill a need, are easy to use and provide appropriate functionality for the task at hand. The Harris County Sheriff's Department IWatch Harris County app delivers about one-and-a-half of those ... More >>

Harris County Sheriff's Diversity Training: Our PowerPoint Presentation

Diversity: It's The Right Thing To Do!​Remember back in 2008, when the Harris County Sheriff's Department circulated those internal e-mails making fun of everyone (but white men?) And later that year, when deputies handcuffed a Sikh woman and her entire family -- and called them Muslims -- bec ... More >>

Sheriff Asks Congress for More Money to Patrol Port

HCSOGive me more money, Garcia said.​Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia told a congressional subcommittee today that he needs more cash to protect the Port of Houston. "At the end of the day, it comes down to the ability of someone to patrol in a patrol boat or a patrol car," he told the Ho ... More >>

Stealing a Purse in Church: a How-To Video

The Harris County Sheriff's Office has released this security-cam video of a woman rifling through a purse during a church service. "God and a camera were watching Cynthia Gonzalez, aka Cynthia Martinez, as she allegedly stole from a woman's purse after the woman got up to receive communion," the s ... More >>

76-Year-Old Man Tied Up for Two Days by Burglars

HCSOJunior Velasquez​Burglars left a 76-year-old man tied up in duct tape and wrapped in a rug for two days while they calmly ransacked his house, the Harris County Sheriff's Office says; the man eventually dragged himself out onto the street to find help. Two suspects have been arrested in t ... More >>

Ronald Washington: Slices Woman With Machete, Douses Her With Gasoline, Then Gets Arrested When He Files a Report

HCSORonald Washington felt aggrieved.​If we take the Harris County Sheriff's Office at its word, then Ronald Washington got into a fight with the mother of his six-month-old baby, a fight that included swiping at her with a machete, dousing her with gasoline and driving off with the kid in the ... More >>

Sheriff's Gang and DWI Crackdown Near Flea Market Yields 16 Arrests, 120 Tickets

Who doesn't love a flea market? People who are arrested there.​Deputies from the Harris County Sheriff's Office targeted an area near a popular northside flea market this weekend and made 16 arrests and gave out 120 tickets. It was a combined DWI and anti-gang initiative, a spokesperson said, ... More >>

Three Generations of Crack Sellers Under One Roof

HCSOSheila Sowell: a family affair​Apparently family togetherness, when it comes to crime, is not limited to adult-diaper scamsters. The Harris County Sheriff's Office announced this afternoon that they had busted a family of six for selling crack from their home on the northeast side of town ... More >>

Alexander Olivieri: 18-Year-old Murder Suspect Grins for Mugshot

HCSOAlexander Olivieri: Nice mug​The Harris County Sheriff's Office has arrested Alexander Olivieri, 18, for the Katy murder of Bridgett Frisbie, 17. Frisbie's body was found, dead from a gunshot wound, by some kids who were four-wheeling in a field Sunday afternoon. Olivieri's mugshot, rele ... More >>

Spring Cleaning: Let the Sheriff's Office Help You Shred Your Documents

You should really shred these at home.​It's almost April. The air is warm with the hint of summer weather to come. Birds are chirping. Trees are blooming and that annual rite of passage is upon us: spring cleaning. For most of us, that means cleaning up around the house, maybe gardening a bit ... More >>

Harris County Jail Takes First Tentative Step Towards Ankle Monitors

Ankle monitors may take the place of jail time for some in Harris County​The Harris County Sheriff's Office is seeking to take a first "baby step" towards using ankle monitors and home confinement to fight jail overcrowding, a spokesman says. HCSO is asking Commissioners Court for permission ... More >>

Geroge Wesley Ellington: Sheriff's Deputy Indicted For Moonlighting As Security For Ecstasy Dealer

Rave on, with the help of the Harris County Sheriff's Office​Harris County Sheriff's deputies moonlight all the time, providing security for local businesses.Including ecstasy dealers, apparently.A federal grand jury indicted a sheriff's deputy for selling criminal information to a ecstasy dealer ... More >>

Andre Sloan: Sheriff's Office Says It's Cracked 20-Year-Old Murder Case

Photo courtesy HCSOAndre Sloan: Charged with a 1990 murder​The Harris County Sheriff's Office used DNA evidence to crack a cold case and file murder charges against Andre Sloan in a 20-year-old killing, officials said today.Finding Sloan, 48, won't be too difficult: He's currently serving a life s ... More >>

Joseph Wade Walker: The XXXL Bandit Has Waddled His Last

Joseph Walker, XXXL​Houston has been transfixed with the livin' large antics of the XXXL Bandit, the roly-poly bank robber who was a modern-day cross between Charlie Weis and (Not So) Pretty Boy Floyd.The run -- the waddle? -- is over. The Harris County Sheriff's Office has announced today they ca ... More >>

Fugitive Sex Offenders Will Be Easier To Find, Officials Say

Photo by Paula BeltránPat Lykos, flanked by representives from the city and county​It's gotten tougher to be a fugitive sex offender in Harris County, a group of law enforcement officials announced Monday.The three main local agencies dealing with sex offenders are merging their databases and mon ... More >>

Gregory Hundl, 25, Bayou Body Count No. 183

Photo courtesy HCSOKilled by a drunk teenaged driver​A jailer with the Harris County Sheriff's Office was killed early Saturday when a drunk teen rammed into his motorcycle as he waited at a red light, officials say.Gregory Hundl was heading home after a shift at the jail and was stopped at the U. ... More >>

Sheri Lynn Davis, Teacher Who Became A Web Sensation For Beating A Kid: Charges Filed

Not arrested yet, but charges filed and warrants issued​The Harris County Sheriff's Office has announced that charges have been filed against the charter-school teacher whose videotaped hitting of a student went viral on the web.Sheri Lynn Davis has been charged with injury to a child. Three other ... More >>

Tasered To Death: Traffic Stop Turns Fatal, Without Bullets (Updated)

Running away from an HCSO deputy is fatal​The Harris County Sheriff's Office says its homicide unit will investigate the death of a man who was tasered by one of their deputies and died after hitting his head in a fall.HCSO says the man, whose identity is being withheld pending notification of his ... More >>

Unidentified Man, Bayou Body Count No. 86

​Judging by where the body was found, this one looks like that homicide detective's nightmare: a body dump. Around eleven A.M. yesterday, workers picking up trash in the 12800 block of TC Jester -- an isolated, discontiguous and distant northwest Harris County stretch -- found the body of an ... More >>

Go Speed Racer Go!! (Just Not This Weekend)

​The Harris County Sheriff's Office has announced a crackdown on street racing this weekend.They're not saying exactly what they'll be doing ("tactics will not be disclosed at this time"), but the HCSO will be teaming with the Precinct 5 Constables office (and DPS), so that should give you some id ... More >>

Whatchoo Gonna Do When They Come...To Houston?

​Houston cops and sheriff's deputies will be the stars in this Saturday's episode of Cops; this means, of course, that -- unknown to us -- original episodes of Cops are still being made, we guess.We just assumed they were in endless rerun status, but then again one Cops show is much like another.T ... More >>

Bayou Body Count: Guy Walks Into A Bar...

It sounds like something out of the movies: from out of nowhere an unknown man in dark clothes storms into a bar, guns blazing. But according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, that was the scene at an after-hours club early Thursday morning. Deputy Thomas Gilliland tells Body Count that ... More >>

Sheriff's Deputies Who Worked As Sensitivity Trainers Punished For Being Insensitive

This week's feature about Laura Howard also deals with crisis-intervention training in law enforcement.According to several sources from the story, the Harris County Sheriff's Office has been slow in accepting crisis intervention as a method of handling suspects and inmates at the jail. Apparently, ... More >>

Sheriffs Department Seeking Air Power

And the Winners Are

Houston Press does well in a two-state contest

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Visitors to the county jail can now get the most for their money