HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Alcohol is believed to have played a role in an accident in north Houston. The driver of a Kia Spectra was turning on to Veterans Memorial from Shepherd when he lost control and hit a traffic light pole. The driver had to be taken to the hospital.
Police suspect the driver was drunk.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »The school shooting has put mental health back on the public policy radar, and in Texas, it is not a pleasant image. In fact, the Harris County Jail is now a symbol of what's become the largest mental health treatment facility in nation's fourth city.
There are about 9,000 inmates at the Harris County Jail, held for everything from misdemeanors to major crimes. But of that number, a fourth are housed in the jail's mental health unit, a psychiatric center of last resort.
"When there are no available treatment resources or facilities outside of the law enforcement correctional environment, then you push the problem over to jails and prisons," Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia said.
The cost is huge. The state has cut mental health funding over the years, to the point it now ranks last in the nation, according to several studies. While outpatient mental health services cost less, in jail, when security, housing and medication is added in, it's estimated to have run about $70 million last year.
"We have 2,100 patients right now. We've been up to as high as 2,500 per month, for a long time," said Mona Lisa Jiles, an administrator with the MHMRA
At the county jail, the inmate patients are stabilized, put on medication, and if they aren't a danger to themselves or others, by law they are released. The problem is to what often it's to the streets.
"I think we always worry about them and often times unfortunately we see them back very soon," said Dr. Michael Seale, the jail's medical director.
With what's happened in Connecticut, there will be a call in the upcoming Texas Legislature to restore some of that mental health funding.
(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more National/World »As the day was starting, at about 6:45am, from north Texas to the Gulf Coast, people were greeted with flash in the sky. Some report hearing what sounded like a sonic boom. Ashley Graham says she was walking her dog here in Houston.
"It was like a big flash and I thought it was lightning," she recalled. "It was a big light, and it was kind of scary, but I didn't think about it too much."
A lot of people are thinking about it now. A flash, a colored light -- reports are still coming in. It could be seen all around the area if you were up early enough.
"If we have a time when a people are outside when something happens, then we get all these reports," said Dr. Carolyn Sumners with the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
Dr. Sumners missed the event. There is no definite explanation yet for the light and what appeared to be a trail across the sky. But for now she suspects it's part of a meteor as it hurtled through the earth's atmosphere.
She said, "The longer we go with no manmade explanation, the more we think it really was a meteor."
Meteors are common. We also call them shooting stars. In the lobby of the museum planetarium, there is part of a meteorite on display, composed of iron ore that burned across the sky.
On Friday afternoon the National Weather Service questioned whether it was debris from a Russian satellite as it re-entered the atmosphere. For now, it's a mystery, and a very intriguing one, just a few weeks before the Mayan calendar's prophecy of doomsday.
"It's getting closer to that day, and this big flash, and I didn't know what it was," Graham said. "Yeah, a lot of different things were going through my mind."
"It is a little scary and you think about all the other things that have happened over the months and over the years and it makes you think about a lot," said museum visitor Glenda Scales.
A week from today a meteor shower is expected to begin. Perhaps this flash across the sky was the prequel. So far the official determination of the flash across the sky has not been made.
If you saw it, tell us about it on our Facebook or Twitter page. And if you happen to have captured a photo or video, email it to us at news@abc13.com or upload it on our iWitness reports page.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »
METRO Monday unveiled its newly designed light rail train. HOUSTON (KTRK) -- METRO light rail users will be riding a new train for the first time in nearly a decade. The agency Monday unveiled the car at its rail operations center in southwest Houston. The vehicle is expected to be tested and placed into service before the end of the year.
According to METRO, the train has extra horizontal bars for passenger safety, better storage for bicycles, and additional air conditioning for the Houston heat.
The vehicle is the first of 19 new rail cars for the expanding light rail lines.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »
Alan Tadeo Baker, 45, is charged with terroristic threat. HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Officials have charged a man with making a terroristic threat after he allegedly called in a bomb threat to Houston's light rail line. On August 27, a METRO Transit Authority customer service operator received a phone call during which the caller said he had left a cup on the light rail vehicle that might explode, blowing up the train. According to court documents, METRO police found that the call came from a phone number belonging to Alan Tadeo Baker.
Surveillance video also reportedly showed a man who matched Baker's description board the train, place his cup in a seat and then exit again, leaving the cup behind. Officials say the surveillance video also showed the man attempting to get back on the train, but the doors had closed and the train was pulling away from the station.
Police say further investigation matched up Baker's use of his Q-card, video and audio surveillance and the recorded threatening phone call.
Baker, 45, is charged with terroristic threat, a felony charge. Bond has not been set in the case.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There's a new battle in the ongoing controversy over red light cameras. A group that has been fighting the cameras in League City accuses city leaders of misspending money coming in from red light tickets.
The Galveston County District Attorney's Office says it will investigate this allegation that the red light camera money was spent by the city of League City illegally. The city says its own review has led them to already start paying back some of the money.
Byron Schirmbeck admits he doesn't live in League City. But he commutes through it, and so he says he has the right to question what happens to the money the city makes from red light violators -- money he and others contend is being used illegally.
"This is and always has been abut the money. The city will lie, cheat, steal, beak the law to do anything they can to protect this revenue coming in," Schirmbeck said.
He filed a complaint with the Galveston County district attorney, alleging that the city went on a "binge spending spree," purchasing things like rifle optics, entry rifles, a crime scene imager and finger print station -- even a tactical observation tower, which the city showed us last year as they touted its crime-fighting value.
"League City spent over a quarter-million dollars on things that aren't traffic safety related," Schirmbeck said.
The Texas transportation code says the money may be used only to fund traffic safety programs, including pedestrian and public safety programs, intersection improvements and traffic enforcement.
A League City Spokeswoman Kristi Wyatt tells us the city attorney has now reviewed the expenditures, and its interpretation of the law. She says the city has determined some of the money -- about $80,000 worth -- will now be paid back to the traffic safety fund and items will instead be purchased with general fund money.
But Wyatt insists the city didn't violate any law.
"Once that was brought to our attention and the opinion was received from our attorney, then we took action immediately to correct that," she said.
League City is also seeking an attorney general's opinion on what the red light camera funds can and cannot be used for.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)They're not happy with the city's decision to pay millions of dollars for canceling its contract to run those cameras. We're talking about a nearly $5 million dollar settlement and city leaders will hear about it on Tuesday.
According to the terms of the agreement, the city would pay American Traffic Solutions $2.3 million up front from money they have in the bank. The remaining $2.4 million would be paid over the next three years from people who have outstanding red light camera tickets and still need to pay.
In exchange for the payments, ATS agreed to drop the legal battle and bring down all of its cameras within 60 days of when City Council approves the deal.
Mayor Annise Parker says settling with ATS is worth it.
"They were claiming damages of $25 million, so I think a settlement under $5 is a good negotiated deal," she said.
But there's a group of people who say the city doesn't owe ATS anything. They'll be at City Hall Tuesday afternoon to chime in.
City Council meets at 2pm Tuesday to mull over the issue.
Red light debate in League City
League City residents could soon vote on the future of red light cameras in their city.
On Tuesday night, two City Council members will suggest letting the city's 83,000 residents decide if League City should continue its red light camera contract. League City has had cameras up at three intersections along FM 518, but the camera contract expires in October 2014. If the council agrees, the issue should be a citywide vote. It would appear on the ballot in May.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »The city has been fighting over this contract for more than a year and after digging through it, there was a real issue at hand here over how much the city owed.
Here's how the settlement breaks down. All told the company will get a little more than $5 million. The city already has $2.3 million of it in the bank. But the rest -- more than $2.7 million -- still has to be collected.
If the settlement deal passes a City Council vote this week the red light cameras will soon disappear. But so will a bunch of money from the city's bank account. On Monday, the mayor told us giving the red light camera company nearly $5 million to go away is worth it.
"They were claiming damages of $25 million. So a settlement for under $5 million is a good deal," said Mayor Annise Parker.
The camera company thinks so, too.
"I think it's in the interest of both sides to put this behind them, and let's move on," said George J. Hittner with American Traffic Solutions.
When those cameras were still on, all sorts of people were getting tickets they still haven't paid. The success of this settlement depends on people paying those tickets and that hasn't been easy to do.
"If I had an outstanding ticket I wouldn't pay it," said Paul Kubosh, red light camera opponent.
Kubosh is a Houston traffic attorney who led the petition drive to get the cameras taken down. His advice to the 25,000 people who still have outstanding red light camera tickets: Do nothing.
"There's nothing they can do to enforce it," Kubosh said.
While that's not entirely true, the city is pretty limited, and if scofflaws don't pay up, Houston taxpayers could be on the hook for as much as $2.7 million in tax dollars.
"People don't have a choice to pay fines. They owe the city money and we will collect on the amounts owed," Mayor Parker said.
Let's hope. In the meantime, the guy who started this whole fight isn't done fighting, even after those cameras come down since a federal judge threw out the referendum.
"Have we stopped the cameras? No," said Kubosh. "Any subsequent mayor can come down here, and contract in the future to rape and pillage the citizens financially."
Since the red light camera program started in 2007, the cameras caught almost 934,000 people. There are still 277,000 unpaid tickets outstanding -- about 30 percent of the tickets. That's $26 million. So the city collects the fines at a 70 percent success rate. Eighty percent of the tickets are more than a year old and the city can't arrest you or hold your vehicle registration.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »The city ordered the cameras turned off and stopped issuing red light camera violations last August, but it looks like their saga is far from over.
Last year, Houston shut down the controversial cameras after residents rose up against them. That decision could cost the city big this year.
According to documents Eyewitness News obtained Saturday, the city of Houston and red light camera manufacturer American Traffic Solutions have come up with a compromise and settlement agreement.
In that proposal, the city would agree to pay ATS more than $12 million dollars for the breached red light camera contract, which ends in 2014.
ATS and the city of Houston have been fighting it out in court since voters decided in November they wanted the cameras turned off.
After the public saw those cameras were turned off and then turned on again, it took a vote by city council members in August to ultimately turn off the red light cameras off permanently.
ATS was seeking $25 million from the city of Houston for breach of contract.
If city council approves this settlement, the city will pay around $4.78 million dollars to ATS up front, but the potential pay-out could climb to about $12 million over the next three years.
The funds to pay the settlement will come from previously collected fines that are in escrow and the approximately $25 million the city is still owed in outstanding red light camera fines issued when the program was still operational.
Under the terms of the agreement, ATS will be paid $2.3 million up front. This represents the amount ATS would have received had the red light cameras remained on from the date they were initially turned off following the voter initiative in November 2010 to December of 2011.
ATS will also receive another $2.4 million over the next three years. This additional amount is meant to address the amounts ATS could have received under its contract with the city, based on collection of delinquent red light camera fines.
In exchange for the payments, ATS has agreed to end its legal fight with the city and remove all of its cameras from Houston intersections within 60 days of approval of the settlement by Houston City Council.
Houston's legal department is recommending that the council approve the settlement. They are also recommending that council authorize the mayor to enter into additional third party agreements to support the collection of outstanding fines, if necessary.
George J. Hittner, ATS general counsel and corporate secretary, told us the deal has taken all sides weeks to iron out.
"We've gone through two mediations, we've had a lot of dialogue with the city, and at this point and time, we believe we've reached an agreement that will be presented to city council," Hittner said. "I think it's in the best interest of both sides to put this matter behind them, and let's move on."
In a statement released Saturday evening from City Hall, Mayor Annise Parker said "I am thankful that traffic violators, not Houston taxpayers, will be paying for this. This is a reasonable settlement and I thank the City legal department for its diligence in getting it done."
Please stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for updates as we continue to follow this developing story.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »The FBI has made the arrests, and now 13 Undercover has the video even the feds haven't seen.
Long before the FBI moved in, 13 Undercover was already watching Precinct One by surveillance of deputies using our hidden cameras. And we got an earful. We want to warn you, too. Some of the language here may not be right for kids.
Let's take a trip downtown, headquarters -- Precinct One Constable Jack Abercia. Wouldn't you have loved to have been a fly on their wall? You can, thanks to our 13 Undercover hidden camera.
"This man is gonna stand so far back from that s*** like he didn't know what the f*** was going on," Michael Butler says on hidden camera.
That's the second in command, Chief Deputy Michael Butler, and this was recorded back in October. We were already knee-deep in our investigation of constables -- Victor Trevino, May Walker. Let's just say at Precinct One, they worried they might be next.
"You think Jack Abercia is going to go on f****** camera? Are you nuts? Are you f****** nuts?" Butler says on hidden camera.
Abercia did say no, but we were there just minutes after he turned in his retirement papers this month.
"I don't have nothing to say to y'all at all. Y'all trying to burn somebody that don't need to be burned," Abercia told us.
"I resent the hell out of you," he told us.
"What did I do?" we asked.
"You talk too much that's not true," he said.
But we had only reported the FBI was investigating Abercia's office for alleged bribery in the hiring of a deputy named Alan James.
"They can do what they want. I haven't done nothing that I'm afraid of ever coming out," Abercia said.
James was hired even after a Precinct One review committee said he should not be given a badge and gun. The constable now blames Chief Butler.
"That was his problem. I told him I didn't want him," he said.
Abercia denies he got a penny for the James hiring, but last week, both the constable and the chief were in handcuffs, charged with accepting bribes in the James case.
Long before FBI moved in for the arrest, we'd already been watching Precinct One for months -- the possible misuse of deputies, county equipment. Listen closely as the chief deputy is questioned by a Precinct One deputy about the integrity of the guy in charge.
"Can Jack Abercia go on TV and say I'm not a crook?" the deputy asks Butler on hidden camera.
"No, he can't, he can't say that. He can't say that," Butler replies.
And wait for it. Here comes the punch line:
"Let me ask you this question: Are there nuts in a Snickers?" Butler adds, then laughs.
We told the constable how they talk about him behind closed doors.
"I haven't done anything, Wayne. I ain't done anything. I know they have all things that we can take pictures of everywhere but I just don't stoop like that at all and I'm not a crook," Abercia said.
It's a denial chief Butler had predicted Abercia would make long before that FBI trouble began.
"He was your right hand guy," we told Abercia.
"Well, I would challenge him to a polygraph. I would, 'cause Wayne, I don't do those things. My mother didn't bring up a fool," he replied.
Chief Butler is now gone from Precinct One. He turned in his badge just days after FBI agents showed up at his house asking about possible bribes. And the constable, he got out days later.
"Is Michael Butler a crook?" we asked Abercia.
"I'm not going to answer that question. I knew something was wrong," he said.
And Michael Butler had predicted what Abercia would do if the trouble ever came.
"He gonna be up out of here, son. It'd be every man for themselves," Butler says on hidden camera.
Tuesday, our hidden cameras follow some of the constable's men. Were they getting paid to be high-priced errand boys?
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more 13 Undercover » HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There's a major development in the legal battle over Houston's red light cameras. A judge has ruled last November's red light cameras charter amendment vote is invalid. The ruling came down from U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes today. However, this does not mean that the red light cameras will be turned back on and tickets will be issued immediately. Judge Hughes' ruling reads in part, "The charter itself and Texas law limit the ability of citizens to initiate changes to the city's charter and ordinances. The nature of the proposition was to repeal a single ordinance about techniques for enforcing traffic laws. It was done beyond the time limit in the charter for repealing an ordinance." Voters wanted them out, but the cameras have remained in place while the battle is being fought in federal court between the city of Houston and ATS, the camera vendor. The city is hoping to avoid paying damages to the company for dropping the contract. Mayor Annise Parker issued a statement saying, "Judge Hughes' ruling means that we have several options to consider. I will consult with City Attorney Dave Feldman and City Council members as we deliberate the future of the red light camera program in Houston. Right now the cameras continue to monitor intersections, but no tickets are being issued." Paul Kubosh, a lawyer who led the fight against the cameras, told us today's ruling is "judicial activism at its worst."
Stay with ABC13 Eyewitness News for the latest on this developing story.
(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »
May babies are fortunate enough to count the lively green emerald as their birthstone, but anyone can enjoy this brilliant gem. This shiny small heart pendant is crafted in gold-dipped sterling silver and holds twelve small round emeralds along its curve. The opposite curve features polished silver texturing and a genuine diamond accent. Showcased on a slender 18-inch box chain, this pretty pendant makes a sweet gift.Price: $42.00
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HOUSTON (KTRK) -- As churches prepare for one of the holiest days of the year, one Houston church is worried about the safety of its congregation.
The New Life Temple Church sits at the intersection of Almeda Genoa and Martin Luther King, and where those streets meet is what concerns church leaders. A little boy's funeral was interrupted Friday by an accident at the intersection. The senior pastor also says one of her church members was involved in a crash last year while driving to the church. She says she and her neighbors have repeatedly asked for help, but it hasn't happened so far. As Bishop Brenda Perry prepares for Easter Sunday and a full sanctuary, she's adding one more prayer to her list. "Lives depend on it, very much so," she said. She has renewed her call for a traffic signal at the corner of Almeda Genoa and Martin Luther King. Right now, there's just a stop sign and she believes that's not enough. "It's just an accident all the time," Perry said. In fact, hours earlier, one happened right before their eyes during a funeral at New Life Temple. A black SUV collided with a small sedan and flipped. Officers had to pull three people, including a child, out. "The Lord is looking over them," one officer said. We don't know who was at fault but Alphonse Simple, who's lived here for 31 years, believes a combination of not paying attention to the stop sign and driving faster than the posted 45 miles per hour on Almeda Genoa oftentimes makes for a dangerous result. "I can be at my house and I can hear a wreck," he said. "It's early now; later on it's like whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.". A quick check with Houston police showed between 10 and 15 accidents in the last year, roughly one a month. According to the city's public works department, which looked at this issue last September, it takes five or more accidents within a 12-month period to warrant one, but here's the catch; those accidents have to have been deemed correctable by a traffic signal. And at the time, officials say they weren't. "There wasn't enough evidence there to indicate there was an issue," said Jeff Weatherford, deputy director of the Houston Public Works and Engineering department. "I don't know how many accidents that has to happen before they put a light there," Simple said. So Simple will keep asking that question and Perry will keep praying. "We need something done," she said. The deputy director of public works says they will pull the number of accidents on Monday to see if anything has changed. Development also has an impact, he says. There is one major development just a couple of blocks away -- the New Frost Elementary will open up in the fall. The church pastor hopes something will happen before parents and their children travel down that stretch of road daily. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)