Missouri City man convicted of illegal possession of bald eagle

  VICTORIA, TX (KTRK) -- Sam Mathew, 53, of Missouri City, has been convicted of illegally possessing a bald eagle, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced. Mathew was indicted in May of this year for one count of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).

Prosecutors say there was an active bald eagle nest located on Mathew's property and he had been planning to capture a young eagle for the purposed of training it in falconry. Mathew testified in his defense and claimed the bird was out of its nest and on a tree limb, and that he had instructed two ranch hands to remove it.

However, testimony indicated the bird was actually still in its nest when they were about to capture it. The eagle apparently got scared and fell out of the tree at that time and Mathew and one of the ranch hands caught it.

US Fish and Wildlife Service officials learned of the eagle and that the nest housing it had apparently been disturbed and went to the residence. Upon arrival, they noticed there were fresh tire tracks around the tree and several broken branches as well as a set of tree climbing gear with ropes.

The MBTA does allow the possession of nongame birds, but only if they are injured, sick or orphaned and if they are immediately transported to be rehabilitated. Mathew claimed he thought the bird was injured and was rescuing it to take it to a rehabilitator. The jury disagreed and found him guilty as charged. The jury returned its verdict late Tuesday after two days of trial and approximately an hour of deliberations.

Mathew was permitted to remain on bond pending his sentencing hearing to be held in February 2013. At that time, he faces up to six months in federal prison and a maximum $15,000 fine.

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HISD employee accused of possession of child pornography

Henry Walter Hauffe, 63, is charged with four counts of possession of child pornography.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A $10,000 bond was set Friday for a Houston ISD district clerk accused of downloading child pornography.

Henry Walter Hauffe, 63, was arrested Thursday and charged with four counts of possession of child pornography. A cyber crime task force investigation led to a search of Hauffe's home back in February. There, investigators uncovered explicit images of young girls stored on his computers.

No word why eight months passed between the search and his arrest. A spokesperson for HISD tells us Hauffe's duties did not involve any interaction with children.

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DA: Paramedic in possession of child porn was found in bed with a boy during a search warrant

Chaise Michael Green, 28, is charged with three counts of possession of child pornography.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A local firefighter and paramedic is accused of possessing images and videos of child porn.

On September 26, the Harris County Pct. 4 Constables Office say they executed a search warrant at a Spring area residence in reference to an investigation involving the alleged possession and possible distribution of child pornography.

During the search of the residence, investigators say a male identified as Chaise Michael Green was found in bed with a prepubescent male child.

Investigators say they discovered multiple images and videos of child pornography on Green's personal laptop computer and storage device.

Court documents state Green had recently worked as a fireman and was employed as an Emergency Medical Technician with a local ambulance company.

Green, 28, is charged with three counts of possession of child pornography. Bond has been set at $60,000 total.

Authorities say they are interviewing the boy found in bed with Green and further charges may be filed against Green.

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Harris Co. Sheriff's Office deputy indicted for possession, delivery of ecstasy tablets

Jesus Martinez, a Harris County Sheriff's Office deputy, has surrendered to federal authorities following the return of a federal indictment alleging he aided in the possession of a controlled substance, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Harris County Sheriff's deputy is off the job, accused of aiding in the possession and delivery of ecstasy tablets in the Houston area.

Jesus Martinez, of Humble, has surrendered to federal authorities following the return of a federal indictment that on or about July 23, Martinez allegedly aided others in the possession of MDMA, aka ecstasy, a schedule I controlled substance.

Harris Co. Sheriff Adrian Garcia released a statement Friday which read in part, "Every single one of the employees at the HCSO is expected to obey the law and play by the rules. If an employee becomes involved in criminal behavior then they should know that we will do everything in our power to make sure we find them the jail cell they deserve. Mr. Martinez owes an apology to his colleagues, his coworkers, and the residents of Harris County... His actions have tainted the good work of our deputies who risk their lives every day to keep Harris County safe."

Martinez, 30, had been employed with the HCSO since 2007 and was assigned to the patrol bureau.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years imprisonment as well as a $1 million fine.

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Ex-HFD captain accused of child porn possession

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A former Houston Fire Department captain who allegedly admitted to police he is a sex addict is accused of possessing images and videos of child porn.

Saul Fiszer, also known as "Abe," is charged with three counts of possession of child pornography. Court documents state that Fiszer's wife reported to police that her husband had a problem with child pornography and had been seeking counseling. She told police that she discovered that Fiszer had been frequently texting and calling a 14-year-old girl in Wyoming. She said the girl referred to Fiszer as "Daddy" and that she was apologetic for her actions.

"She (Fiszer's wife) originally believed that there was some kind of extramarital affair. She was able to gain access to his phone," said Harris County Assistant District Attorney Shannon Davis.

Fiszer's wife told investigators that she contacted the girl's parents as well as police in Wyoming to report the incident. Police there confiscated the girl's cell phone.

According to court documents, Fiszer's wife confronted him about the girl and she said he admitted to her that he had been chatting online and exchanging lewd pictures with the girl. The wife also told authorities that she had previously destroyed Fiszer's old laptop after she discovered he had been chatting with other women on the internet.

Police executed a search warrant and confiscated Fiszer's current laptop as well as a thumb drive. They say they found at least three images and videos of child porn on those two items.

"The forensic preview from what is in the case here shows a number a different children and some images of him, but not him with children," Davis said.

Court documents state investigators say Fiszer told them that he was a sex addict and that he looks at porn and child porn online. He also admitted that he shares pictures and videos with others online and that he is involved with role playing and fantasies.

Police say Fiszer also told him that he tried to commit suicide after his wife learned of his relationship with the 14-year-old girl.

Fiszer is an 18 year veteran of HFD and was assigned to Station 21. He had been relieved of duty with pay pending the results of the ongoing investigation, however, HFD says Fiszer turned in his resignation papers on Friday morning.

"Mr. Fiszer has requested and signed his resignation from the Houston Fire Department, so he is no longer a Houston firefighter," said Houston Fire Chief Terry Garrison.

An investigation has been launched by HFD.

"Part of our investigation will be to determine if there was any impropriety with any of our computers or our city equipment. That will be an ongoing investigation, yes. We will definitely look into that," said Chief Garrison.

Fiszer, 49, was arrested on January 24. Bond has been set at $20,000.

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Suspect arrested in possession of stolen handgun, TV

Duntavier McCullough was arrested and charged with theft of a firearm and theft.

  ROSENBERG, TX (KTRK) -- Rosenberg police have arrested a suspect in possession of stolen property.

On May 24 at around 10:30pm, Rosenberg police say an officer was dispatched to the 4700 block of Reading Road in reference to a 911 hang-up call. Upon arriving, the officer observed two males in the parking lot in possession of a large flat screen TV. Through an investigation, police determined the TV was recently reported stolen. One of the men was found to be in possession of a stolen handgun as well. Duntavier McCullough was arrested and charged with theft of a firearm and theft. McCullough, 18, was transported to the Fort Bend County Jail. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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