Police: Fight over dog in NW Houston turns deadly

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A deadly fight between roommates all started over a dog, and officials say the shooting may have been self-defense. The fatal encounter happened at an apartment complex off Hollister in northwest Houston late Wednesday night.

A 21-year-old man had lived at the apartment for a while but he took in a roommate a few months back. But on Wednesday night there was a fight centered around a dog named Bear and it ended in death.

HPD Homicide Officer Brian Evans said, "When the secondary roommate was apparently attempting to choke a dog that was inside the apartment belonging to the primary lease holder, that individual then turned his attention from he dog to the lease holder and they became involved in a physical altercation."

Not long after that a gun was fired. The roommate who had choked the dog was shot. A neighbor heard the commotion.

"I looked over by the window and then I see the guy screaming and he says it hurts," recalled Ingrid. "But I didn't hear the gunshot, just the guy screaming."

The man police have identified as Brian Harper later died at a nearby hospital. Both roommates were 21 years old, and were often seen taking the dog outside. They were described as quiet and pleasant. One neighbor says one of the men was involved with an area church.

"He told me he was a youth pastor and he loved his job and he loved doing what he was doing," said neighbor Harold Davis. "He talked about the kids at the church all the time."

The roommate who shot his friend was questioned by police but he was not arrested and he is not charged. Police say it may be a case of self-defense.

"All of the evidence that we have on that scene appears that may be the case," said Officer Evans. "We don't have anything to indicate it was a struggle over than a self-defense type situation."

Because of that, police say the case will be presented to a grand jury which will decide whether charges are merited or not. The name of the tenant who shot Harper, according to police, is not being released because he has not been charged with a crime.

The dog was taken into the custody of animal control, which is seeking to return it to its owner.
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local, deborah wrigley

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Suspected hit and run driver turns himself in to police

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A man who claims that he hit and critically injured a man at an intersection in southwest Houston with his truck early Monday morning has surrendered to police.

For two days Houston police have been searching for a hit-and-run driver. Now that man has reached out to a community activist to help turn himself in.

Langston Carrier was tight-lipped when we asked him about a hit-and-run accident that happened at Hillcroft and Westpark on Monday morning. But Eyewitness News cameras were rolling Wednesday afternoon as carrier turned himself in to police.

Community activist Quanell X said, "He was absolutely tore up and heartbroken about all of this."

Quanell says Carrier was very emotional when he reached out to the activist late Tuesday night indicating he's the driver of a black Dodge pickup. Investigators say they've been searching for the truck's driver for hitting and injuring a pedestrian and failing to stop and render aid.

Quanell said, "He was very, very, very remorseful. In fact, he's one of the most remorseful individuals I've ever turned in. Because his whole disposition was about he wanted to do the right thing because it's what God would have him do."

Police say the driver of the truck was speeding through a yellow light on Westpark when he hit a 25-year-old man who was running across the street around 2:15 that morning.

The front end of this Dodge pickup is heavily damaged. Even one of the headlights is missing.

The impact of that crash seriously injured the pedestrian. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition with a broken leg and other internal injuries, according to HPD. Police have not released the victim's name.

As for Langston Carrier, he could face charges of failing to stop and render aid.

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

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Traffic violator turns into confidential informant?

FRIENDSWOOD, TX (KTRK) -- The story of a way out of a traffic ticket that seems hard to believe. A single mom stopped by Friendswood police for a bad lane change ends up changing into a confidential drug informant.

It was dinner time and this single mom from Friendswood wanted to pick up some KFC. She didn't signal a lane change and soon was pulled over.

"This is the first time I've been pulled over and the first time I've dealt with anything like this in my life," the woman said.

The traffic ticket would've cost a couple hundred bucks at the most to get out of. The reason we're telling her story is because her traffic ticket turned into a secret undercover deal to buy drugs for the Friendswood police.

"I was agreeing to do three buys for him to get out of my insurance and inspection citations," she said.

"You were agreeing to become a drug snitch?" we asked.

"Yes," she said.

During the traffic stop, Friendswood police officers found a brand new glass pipe in her car with a price tag attached and they returned it to her. They also found a bottle of her prescription medication Suboxone, an anti-addiction medication. She was prescribed Suboxone after getting off Vicodin for dental pain.

After the stop, officers took the woman to a Friendswood police station, put her in a holding cell and strip searched her.

"She made me bend over, she looked everywhere, she didn't find anything," the woman said.

It'd been four hours since she left her son without adequate supervision to get dinner. She was only supposed to be gone 15 minutes.

"I actually begged and begged and begged and begged for them to let me call my mom to go get my son," the woman said.

Police offered her a deal.

"I had two choices, that they were going to either arrest me, or I could agree to do some controlled buys for him," the woman said.

From single mom without a stain on her record to drug snitch in just a few hours. The next day she made that undercover buy alone, nervous, scared for her safety, and she says without any to communicate with a police officer outside in case something went bad.

"I was scared for my safety," the woman said.

She got $100 worth of meth, turned it in to cops and then called a lawyer to get her out of a deal she now knows she never should have made in the first place.

But when the lawyer started pushing to get that woman out of the undercover deal, the Friendswood Police Department pushed back, essentially threatening to giver her name to the drug dealer.

"He would make sure to get an affidavit and the warrant to arrested the girl. He would try to bust her and he would make sure to tell her that I was the one who ratted her out," the woman said.

It's hard to believe, but there it is in a text message from the Friendswood detective, saying it would be up to the Brazoria County DA if they would have to name their source. And on the phone too with the woman's defense attorney. He recorded that call and gave it to us:

"We can go ahead and just file a warrant, based on the one controlled buy that she did and name her in the warrant," Friendswood Chief Bob Wieners said.

Police officers haven't yet and now say they won't. But they do say this is a common practice in Friendswood, turning traffic tickets in to drug informant deals.

"We work plenty of Class C contracts," Wieners said.

About one a month, the chief told us on the phone, deals his city prosecutor knows nothing about. Chief Weiners confirmed the deal he made with this woman but said we don't know the whole story.

"But please don't think that you telling me you have a side of the story without divulging any of it is somehow clearing the air," we told Weiners.

Although he wouldn't share it with us, we reached out to the Friendswood city manager and the city attorney, asking them to share any facts we should know before reporting the woman's concern. They both said this is an ongoing police investigation matter and they weren't going to tell us, or you, anything about how or why their police department turned a ticket into a trip into the underworld.

"I feel like because they knew I had so much to lose that I'd want to agree to it. I just thought that's why they were doing it," the woman said.

We've already heard from another driver who was offered a similar deal just weeks ago in Friendswood, but when we checked with area prosecutors and a few other law enforcement agencies, this apparently is not a widespread practice.

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

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Police: Attempted robbery turns into deadly stabbing

The 23-year-old victim died en route to the hospital.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A possible attempted robbery may have led to another deadly stabbing in southwest Houston.

The victim was found on Beechnut near South Gessner.

The investigation into exactly what happened is still ongoing. The 23-year-old victim was taken to the hospital after authorities arrived but they say he died on the way there.

So far no word on any possible suspects.

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Craigslist deal turns into shoot-out

Steven Diosdado, 18, is charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.

  KATY, TX (KTRK) -- A couple of brothers are accused of robbing men during a purported sale arranged via Craigslist.

Two men who work as phone retailers advertised on Craigslist that they wanted to buy iPhones. They told police they were contacted by an individual and met him at an apartment on August 6. When they arrived, court documents state, their contact led them to another apartment complex to meet two men who said they had phones to sell.

During the transaction, one of those men pulled out a gun and the other produced a knife, and they proceeded to rob the victims. The victims then pulled out their own guns and chased off the suspects, while exchanging gunfire.

The victims captured one man, identified in court documents as Sidney Diosdado. He was arrested at the scene by the Harris County Sheriff's Department.

Officials say Sidney gave them a false name when asked to identify his accomplice, but they later identified the second suspect as his brother, Steven Diosdado. One of the victims identified Steven from a police photo lineup.

Steven Diosdado, 18, is charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. Bail in the case has been set at $30,000.

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Local race for civil court judge turns nasty

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A local incumbent judge is now in a fight for the bench, battling a challenger in his own party. Some say it's all from an old vendetta.

There are a lot of candidates this primary election and many of them don't grab a lot of attention. But this time, there's a lot of attention being paid to one particular race -- and not in the way everybody expected.

At the courthouse, it looks like business as usual in the 215th civil court. But the campaign for this race has turned nasty.

A radio ad by Democratic candidate Elaine Palmer says, "We interrupt this with breaking news. Harris County records show that Judge Steven Kirkland, candidate for 215th civil district court, was arrested two times for drunk driving."

Judge Steven Kirkland, the Democratic incumbent, says the ad is dirty politics.

"Twenty-eight years ago, I was young and stupid and did some things that I should have not done. I have learned from that and for 28 years I have been sober," he said.

Kirkland points out he's never hid his DWI arrests that occurred three decades ago, and just celebrated 28 years of sobriety.

But Palmer's campaign stands by the ad, saying in a statement: "From the onset, Elaine Palmer has been attacked. From her opponents supporters calling her the N-word to them referring to blacks as 'you people.' We stayed on message and put forth reforms that even Judge Kirkland could not find fault in."

Kirkland says nobody in his campaign have, or would ever say, something so incendiary.

"I think it's just amazing that anyone would want to be a judge and would stoop to these kinds of tactics," Kirkland said.

The tone of this campaign is unusual, but it's also rare to see an opponent like Palmer so well-funded. Records show local lawyer George Fleming as a main contributor to her campaign, and he recently had a case in front of Kirkland.

Our legal analyst Joel Androphy says he's not surprised by what's going on.

"If you don't like the judge in Harris County, you have an option: Go find somebody else and fund them, so this is not new," Androphy said.

Whoever comes out victorious in this primary will face stiff opposition from a Republican candidate in the general election.

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

local, miya shay

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Man turns video game hobby into career

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Having a job isn't always fun and games, unless you're a professional video-gamer. We met a Houston man who couldn't find work, so he made his hobby his full-time job.

Mark Stenmark just arrived to work. He punches the clock whenever he feels like it at Jakes Philly's Steaks and Sports Bar in southwest Houston. His cubicle is this Golden Tee video game.

"I probably start sometime between 11am and noon and then I'll play until 7 or 8 at night," Stenmark said. "So it's about an eight-hour day when I play."

Stenmark previously worked in the oil and gas industry, but when the economy tanked -- like thousands in the Houston area -- he was laid off. That was two years ago!

"I switched and started playing 30 games, 60 games a day basically so I could pay my bills," he said. "To be honest, I made just as much -- if not more -- at the video game."

OK, we know what you're thinking: he plays a video game for a living, and no, not all women are impressed. His Golden Tee career, actually played a roll in ending his previous relationship.

Luckily, his new lady is more lenient.

"She's is a lot more understanding than my ex-girlfriend. She understands that it does pay my bills, I can take her out to dinner and all that stuff that women enjoy," Stenmark said.

He is consistently ranked as the No. 1 Golden Tee player in the world. His ranking is how he his paid. The higher the score he averages over a month determines the size of his check he receives from Golden Tee every two weeks.

Stenmark now clears several thousand dollars a month, making it hard to search for a regular day job.

"It does make it difficult to look for work because I am basically self employed. The freedom of playing this game I can wake up and come in and play at anytime during the day. I don't have to answer to a boss," he said.

So don't expect to see Stenmark applying for a job in the oil and gas industry anytime soon.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Confrontation turns deadly at NW Harris Co. gas station

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Deputies are on the scene of a deadly confrontation in northwest Harris County.

It happened at a Valero gas station on FM 1960 near Kuykendahl.

According to authorities, there were four people -- two men and two women -- in a car getting gas when a fifth person came up and assaulted one of the women. The suspect left right after the alleged attack.

The woman who was hit and one of her male companions went into the store to get some ice for her wound. That is when the suspect apparently came back to the scene but this time with a rock in his hand.

"He assaulted the female, left the scene, came back on foot with a rock. He threw the rock rough the back window of their vehicle," said Sgt. Ben Beall with the Harris County Sheriff's Office. "The two male companions chased this guy down, caught up with him over here by the Shipley's Donuts. They were holding him when deputies arrived. When deputies approached him the male was unresponsive."

The suspect died at the scene. They don't know what caused the suspect to die.

Police say the people who were attacked are being questioned. The woman who did suffer a wound was taken to the hospital to get checked out.

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Record Rodeo crowd turns out for Band Perry

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Last night was another successful night for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

They brought in big numbers with headliner, The Band Perry. The band was making their RodeoHouston debut at Reliant to the second largest paid attendance in Rodeo history. Approximately 74,241 people attended last night's performance. Last Sunday's Go Tejano Day holds the title.

And there could be another huge crowd on hand tonight when Jason Aldean retakes the stage. This will be his third year in a row performing at the Rodeo.

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Life-size toy tiger on hotel roof turns heads in NE Houston

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Firefighters sometimes receive calls out to get cats out of trees. But what happens when they get calls about a tiger on a roof?

The Houston Fire Department received several calls Wednesday about a tiger on the roof of an abandoned hotel near Will Clayton and the Eastex Freeway. It turned out to be a large, stuffed toy.

Fire crews removed the tiger, saying it posed a hazard because drivers kept stopping to look at it.

One firefighter played like he was being attacked by the tiger.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Domestic dispute turns into SWAT scene

After several hours, a SWAT standoff ended peacefully in La Port Friday morning.

  LA PORTE, TX (KTRK) -- A domestic dispute between a boyfriend and girlfriend turned into a SWAT scene in La Porte overnight.

The woman called police around 9pm, asking for help at a home on Sioux near Burkett. Investigators say officers helped her out of the home, but the boyfriend locked himself inside. Around 3am, authorities found the man was not inside.

It is not known where he went or if any charges will be filed.

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Dispute between neighbors turns deadly in Montgomery County

  SPLENDORA, TX (KTRK) -- A Splendora man accused of shooting and killing his neighbor on New Year's Eve was behind bars Sunday.

Gustavo Whalenberg, 69, has been charged with murder.

The shooting happened around 6:50pm in the 23000 block of Charterwood off U.S. 59 in Splendora.

By the time Montgomery County Sheriff's Office officials got to the scene, the 54-year-old victim was dead.

Detectives learned that Whalenberg and the victim had been working with each other during the day when they began to argue.

A brief struggle ensued and both men went to their respective homes, authorities said.

A short time later, Whalenberg allegedly went to the victim's residence with a handgun and shot him once in the chest.

Whalenberg was arrested at the scene and taken to the Montgomery County Jail.

Officials said an autopsy will be performed on the victim's body. His name has not been released pending notification of family members.

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

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Fight between men turns into fatal shooting

Two people were shot -- one fatally -- overnight in a big fight just south of downtown Houston.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There was a deadly shooting just south of downtown Houston last night.

Police say officers responded to a report of a shooting at 2211 Briley at around 10:30pm Tuesday and found Jessie Shepherd and a second male had been shot. Police say some kind of fight broke out between a large group of people. Witnesses reported five unknown male suspects, with their faces covered, were involved in the shooting and fled the scene on foot northbound on Briley.

Shepherd, 24, suffered gunshot wounds and was transported to Ben Taub General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The second male victim, 28, suffered apparent non-life threatening wounds and was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital.

The motive for the shooting is unknown at this time. Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Routine traffic stop turns into police chase

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A driver was bloodied while trying to out-drive police on the northeast side overnight.

The 20-minute, low-speed chase ended when the driver finally gave up on Idylwild and Cavalcade.

Originally, officers tried to pull over the PT Cruiser for a traffic violation on North Main. The driver kept going until he finally surrendered.

It's not clear how he got that bloody cut just above his eye.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Routine traffic stop turns into wild chase

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There was a wild off-road police chase that went from downtown Houston to Humble overnight.

Houston police say it all started around 1am as a routine traffic stop downtown. Authorities say when the suspect, who had a female passenger in the car with him, noticed an officer had spotted drugs in his vehicle, he shoved the officer to the ground and sped off, driving on side streets along the Eastex Freeway.

Police say at some point during the chase, he slowed down and the female jumped out of the car. Houston police say he kept driving, eventually going off road and then down railroad tracks for about a half a mile.

Five police cars tried to follow him, but got stuck on the tracks. Authorities say the suspect then bailed out if his car and hid along Reinhardt Bayou. He was eventually caught by a police dog.

The suspect faces a list of felony charges, including assault on a police officer and evading arrest. More charges could be on the way as the female claims she was not the suspect's girlfriend, but was taken and held captive.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Police: Fight over woman turns into stabbing

A man is nearly stabbed to death as he tangles with another man last night.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police say a fight over a woman caused one man to stab a man he viewed as his romantic rival.

It happened in northeast Houston on Burden near Knight around 10pm. Police say a man was jealous that a woman he was interested in was with another man. That caused the two men to fight and during the scuffle, one man pulled out a knife and stabbed the other.

The stabbing victim was listed in serious condition. Police arrested the man's attacker.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Mom turns home business into multi-million dollar empire

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It's been said that if you really want to be successful, find your passion. We have the story of how one local mom took her passion and turned it into a multi-million dollar business.

The milestones of Rosie Herman's business are in a scrapbook. The first picture, though, is not of a product, but a young mother with twins with huge bills. "I thought, how can I do something and make extra money at home to help participate in paying off the debt load?" said Herman, founder of One Minute Manicure. The answer was to focus on what she knew, and as an esthetician, she knew manicures. As a mother, she knew the value of time and she created a quick fix concoction, first calling it Mommy's Magic. "'Cause it was my magic. I could only take a shower every two days and caring for the twins and so I'd use it all over my body and it would exfoliate, moisturize and last two days," she said. She shared it with friends. It caught on and it got a new name -- the One Minute Manicure. The factory was at first the family kitchen, then garage. The jars sold out at craft shows and developed a following, all this while her husband worked long hours as a flooring salesman. One weekend, she went to a craft show and when she returned... "He goes, 'I don't think you can do these shows anymore. This is too much for me for a weekend,' and when I walked by the coffee table and threw down $2,000 and I said, 'Are you sure about that,'" she said. That's where the scrapbooks change, from photos at home to glossy magazines in which the One Minute products were featured. Herman was featured on Oprah, as well, which brought in even more business and turning what began in a kitchen to a million-dollar business. During all that, husband Neal quit his sales job and became her business partner. Their communication was forced to improve. "It just makes a world of difference, not just in our business relationship while we're here at the office, but with our personal lives as well," he said. This is the now the factory floor in Spring, automated bottling. And the product line has expanded to include more body creams and lotions. The One Minute line is now sold internationally and Rosie Herman has received several Businesswoman of the Year awards. Hers is a success story and she tells it to inspire other women that they too can create their own empires. "We tend to, 'I think I can't do it.' Then you need to be around those positive people, and if you aren't around them then you need to find them," she said. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Suspect in deputy constable killing turns himself in

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police say a 31-year-old man wanted for the fatal shooting of an off-duty Harris County deputy constable has turned himself in to authorities.

Lee Eldridge Sonier turned himself in late Friday after negotiating his surrender through community activist Quanell X. Sonier is charged with the capital murder of 47-year-old Ronnie Earl Brewer, a Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constable.

Quanell X explained, "He was thinking about running, fleeing. I talked to the brother and explained that's the worst thing he could do."

Investigators say Brewer was shot after getting into an argument with Sonier, accused of being a pimp, over money following sex with a prostitute.

Also charged with capital murder is the alleged prostitute, Judy Lucille Hambrick, who is currently jailed.

On Tuesday, police questioned Sonier, 31, Hambrick, 40, and another woman. Sonier and the unnamed woman were released pending further investigation. Hambrick remained in custody and was charged with theft of a firearm. Police say she admitted to stealing Brewer's weapon.

According to a probable cause affidavit released Friday, Hambrick performed a sex act on Brewer in his car early Tuesday morning. Afterward, police say Sonier argued with Brewer and shot him.

Houston police would not talk publicly about the case; neither would prosecutors. But HPD did send out a press release around midday Friday asking for the public's assistance to find Sonier after a noon time surrender did not happen as planned.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

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