Mysterious animal targeting League City pets?

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- League City residents are concerned about a predator on the loose they believe is behind the disappearance of several family pets.

While some residents say they've seen and heard coyotes, others say that's not what to blame.

"Thomas, I don't know where he went. Turned around and he was gone," resident Jennifer Lewis said of her missing cat.

Lewis misses him and believes her other two cats notice him missing too.

"He was very, very shy around people and never meowed. It was just open his mouth and nothing came out, but when he'd see you he'd come running up to you as fast as he could," she said.

There's lots of places a catnapper could hide around Marina Del Sol. Lewis believes it was a coyote and says her husband saw it.

"He really thought it was a wolf because he said it was really, really big," she said.

Others say they've heard it.

"You can hear them at night about 8:30 or 9 at night they run in packs and you can hear them wooooo," pet owner Gina Dominique said.

Karen Murchison says she's never heard a coyote.

"I have to disagree with that," she said. "I believe that we need to be looking up and I think that's where our petnappers are coming from."

Murchison believes it's a large bird she's had personal experiences with while walking Maurice.

"At first it was like, 'Oh ha, ha, ha' and then I was like, 'Oh my gosh. This bird is actually going to take my dog,' and so I went running and screaming," she said.

The city says the calls they've received involve coyotes.

"At this point, there have been several animals that have come up missing so we do have our officers consulting with the animal tracker that's on our police force to figure out what steps they need to take and go look for that animal," League City Director of Communications Kristi Wyatt said.

Whatever it is, pet owners are keeping a closer eye on their furry family members.

"It's terrible. We have to watch our dog, we keep him on a leash," Murchison said.

"Now we have our other two cats and we are watching out for them because they like to come and go too," Lewis said.

The city's animal control department says it will not respond to calls involving wildlife but if a wild animal does become a serious threat, it will get involved.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Police: Man targeting victims on Craigslist

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A warning from police about a tech-savvy serial robber -- a man believed to be connected to a series of thefts. In each case, he targets his victims by finding them first on the popular website Craigslist.

The victims were lured to the same areas in the 4th Ward, downtown and Montrose. Police say it appears the thieves are interested in folks with iPhones. Now they're hoping a new composite sketch can help lead them to one of the major suspects.

Police say the man in the composite sketch is one of the players in a tech-savvy crime ring that's been targeting victims through online classifieds like Craigslist.

Houston Police Officer Michael Ybanez explained, "What happens is these victims are responding to these ads which are simply a ruse to get them to a certain part of town in order to rob them."

Detectives say the alleged crook has been going after people who've been trying to buy or sell iPhones, iPads and similar electronics.

"When they respond to the location given by the individual on the phone, they are ultimately robbed of their money, or their articles," Officer Ybanez said.

The most recent robbery happened in a parking lot in the 200 block of West Gray four weeks ago. It's where police say a young woman made arrangements to sell the unknown man her iPhone.

"However, instead of paying her the amount that was promised he simply reached in her vehicle and stole her phone and disappeared on foot into the surrounding neighborhood," Officer Ybanez said.

Investigators have been tracking about 20 similar robberies with the same MO since 2010. In each case, Officer Ybanez says the victims were lured to areas in the 4th Ward near Midtown or downtown.

He said, "I would say anytime a robbery happens, that there's a danger element involved and you need to be concerned for your personal safety."

Police believe the man in the sketch is well known in the area. The victims describe him as early to mid-20s, with a slim build and a pronounced gap in his teeth.

Anyone with information about the man in that sketch is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Crime Stoppers wraps up successful campaign targeting child predators

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Investigators call them the worst of the worst -- child predators on the run from the law. Crime Stoppers just wrapped up a month-long safety campaign targeting those fugitives, and Eyewitness News has a sneak peak at the results.

This is the sixth year that Crime Stoppers has done this. A new component was added to the campaign and organizers say it's one of the reasons why it was such a huge success.

Targeting the Houston area's most wanted child predators.

"It's a unique collaboration in the nation to try and protect kids in our community," said Katherine Cabaniss with Crime Stoppers.

With some 1,600 in Harris County alone, Crime Stoppers calls it the largest child safety campaign in the organization's history.

"The amount of predators out there is alarming. Very scary, very scary. Especially when you have little kids, little ones; it definitely heightens your awareness," said parent Damon Barone.

"Within 24 hours of our kick-off press conference, the first fugitive was in custody," said Cabaniss.

Last year, more than 150 child predator fugitives were arrested during the month of April. This April, authorities captured 153 -- roughly the same the number -- and cleared 195 warrants. Eleven of those arrests were based on actual tips from people who visited the organization's web page where photos of more than 850 felons wanted for crimes against kids were featured.

"It's a testament to the partnerships that we have here in Harris County that are strong and productive and they keep our community safe," said Cabaniss.

As part of its campaign, Crime Stoppers partnered with local, state and federal law enforcement to hunt down these fugitives. Crime Stoppers also rolled out more than a dozen giant billboards across the city.

"We need to be informed. I think that's part of the problem. People want to be ignorant concerning these issues. I have five kids of my own, so I want to know if anyone in my neighborhood or anyone around could be a possible danger to my kids," said parent Frederick Banks.

Crime Stoppers will hold a news conference this Friday to go over the results. As always, cash rewards were offered for information leading to arrests in these cases.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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