Friday, March 16, 2012

Neighborhood seeking to stop speeders hits snag

See it on TV? Check here. HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Neighbors in one southeast side subdivision say they've had it with speeders and they want drivers to slow down on their streets.

They say some drivers have lost control, tearing down the roads and damaging property. But their plans to get road humps on some of their streets has hit a snag.

It's happening off Glenloch near Bellfort in the historical neighborhood of Glenloch Valley. But along with all the history is coming a lot of traffic, with cars speeding up and down without anything to stop them.

There are two sides of Glenloch Drive, one with speed bumps that have been there for years, and on the other side of Bellfort, there's another that's speed-bump free. It has the speeding cars to prove it. And then there's the property damage.

"We looked out the window and saw our tree scattered all over the front lawn," homeowner Lorena Gomez said.

On Monday, the Gomez family lost driveway landscaping to a speeding car that overshot the curve in front of their home, but they've seen worse.

"Our neighbor next door got crashed in all the way into his living room," she said.

These are a few of the mishaps in the past year: In one a car ran into a house, taking out windows and brick siding. A $40,000 loss was reported at another house. And in the past couple of months, a car took out a city street light pole.

All happened on the same stretch of Glenloch. Speeding cars cut through traffic, homeowners believe, to an apartment complex at the end of the street.

The residents petitioned the city for speed bumps. They thought the problem was solved but things changed.

"They were telling us basically it was funding is everything that we've been told; everything we've understood was that it was basically related to funding," homeowner and realtor Robert Searcy said.

Funding is always a problem, but in this case, the city of Houston Public Works Department says it's because so many neighborhoods want speed bumps and Glenloch Drive is two years down the list.

"There are other communities in the city of Houston that are farther along in the process than this community is," Public Works spokesman Alvin Wright said.

That leaves Glenloch Drive and the Gomez family for now just as we found them, nervous about being in their front yard, even their home.

"You hear it all the time on the news that cars crash into people's houses while they're there and that's our number one concern," homeowner Andreas Gomez said.

The Gomez family is replacing the tree that was taken out on Monday, but they're also considering moving in some very large landscape to protect their yard and family.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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local, deborah wrigley
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Suspect arrested in brutal sex assault near METRO bus stop

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A suspect accused of targeting a woman at a METRO bus stop and raping her has been arrested.

No one answered the door at Roberto Ramirez's east Harris County apartment. That's because police say the 21-year-old accused rapist was hiding out at a home in Abilene with his girlfriend. Police there arrested him Tuesday afternoon on a Crime Stoppers tip.

Houston investigators used DNA to tie Ramirez to the February 22 rape of a 31-year-old woman near a METRO bus stop. Investigators say Ramirez first started harassing the victim near a bus stop on Wayside and Lawndale. They say he then followed the victim off the bus near the 5600 block of Old Spanish Trail and hit her with a beer bottle before raping her in a nearby field on Produce Row.

"For a pretty young guy, he's pretty dangerous and that's what our concern was from the get go, and to work as fast as we can to get him off the streets," said Pedro Moreno with the Houston Police Department.

Since the beginning of the year, four women have been attacked near METRO bus stops at different locations across Houston. In light of Tuesday's arrest, investigators still don't believe they're connected.

As those investigations continue, METRO is stepping up security in hopes of reassuring nervous passengers including more patrols using uniformed and plain clothes officers.

"In addition to that, we included or incorporated the city's help to help us to take down some of the overrun weeds and other debris that has allowed for some of these types of criminal activity to take place along our transit system," said METRO Police Chief Victor Rodriguez.

According to court documents, the victim's rape kit yielded a DNA profile that matched that of Ramirez in a database from an unsolved 2008 rape case. He's expected to be charged in that case as well.

Ramirez, 21, is charged with aggravated sexual assault of an adult.

He was released from prison in November 2011, out on parole for a robbery conviction. He also has prior convictions for drug possession, theft and criminal trespass. Authorities say Ramirez is a member of the gang '59 PIRU.'

Ramirez is currently being held in the Taylor County Jail. He's expected to be returned to Houston later Tuesday. Bond has been set at $50,000.

Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for the latest on this story.

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local, andy cerota

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Arrest made in Houston boy's 2004 abduction

See it on TV? Check here.  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Eight years ago, an infant disappeared from his Houston home. Now, his alleged abductor is in jail and authorities have found the boy. They are working to reunite him with his mother.

In 2004, Auboni Champion saw her infant son for the last time. Then on Monday, she found out Krystle Rochelle Tanner, the woman accused of taking him, was arrested in San Augustine County, close to Lufkin.

Investigators say Tanner is being uncooperative, but late Tuesday, Tanner's sister called police, saying the boy is with her here in Houston.

Champion says she was shocked to get the phone call about the arrest on Monday.

"Overwhelmed, because it's been eight years; he made eight on the first of March," she said.

Investigators in San Augustine County arrested the woman caring for Champion's son eight years ago when they both disappeared. Champion says Tanner was her son Miguel's godmother.

"I came back, he was gone," Champion said.

It was a case that seemed to fall through the cracks until now. The coordinator for the Houston Regional Amber Plan says they were never contacted about the case in 2004. New developments late last year after a CPS report led investigators to Tanner.

"Concerning an allegation or report of negligent supervision of children and perhaps some physical abuse of this unknown male child," said an investigator.

"It was like, I knew this family. It wasn't like, hey stranger. No, I knew this family. I spent time with them. We had Thanksgivings and Christmases," Champion said.

Now she's missed out on so many years.

"I'm hoping he's alive and OK," Champion said.

Eyewitness News found out late Tuesday night that Miguel is both alive and safe.

The Saint Augustine County Sheriff's Office says it received word from Houston police that they were contacted by the suspect's sister, who said she has the child with her in Houston. Child Protective Services was notified and are now making arrangements to pick up the child so he can be reunited with his mother.

"We love him very much and we never gave up. That's one thing I would never give up," Champion said.

Tanner is being held without bond in San Augustine County.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Thursday, March 15, 2012

Houston Divorce Lawyers

Two men stabbed at apartments in SW Houston

The attack happened outside an apartment on Maplecrest in southwest Houston. The attack happened outside an apartment on Maplecrest in southwest Houston.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Investigators are trying to determine the motive behind a double stabbing in southwest Houston last night.

Two men were attacked outside an apartment on Maplecrest at Beechnut. They were approached by two suspects and both were stabbed in the abdomen.

Officers don't think the stabbing is gang-related and nothing was stolen. The victims are said to be in the hospital in stable condition.

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


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Officer injured while trying to subdue suspect

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police caught a group of burglars red handed overnight in northeast Houston, but they weren't about to go quietly. Officers had to chase them down and it was during that chase that an officer got hurt.

It happened around 3am on Rand near Cavalcade. Police say four men were unloading copper items at a storage trailer at a home. Police were called out after someone witnessed suspicious activity at the home. When police arrived, the four men took off.

Three of them got away, but an officer caught up with one of the suspects about a block away, and injured his hand trying to make an arrest.

That officer also deployed his Taser, but it apparently didn't have any effect on the suspect. That suspect was eventually taken into custody and is now facing a felony assault to an officer charge.

At this point, police are taking a look at the items recovered. They believe they were stolen, so additional charges could follow.

The officer wasn't taken to the hospital. He is expected to be OK.

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local, elissa rivas

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Suspect who shot at police officer captured

SEALY, TX (KTRK) -- A massive manhunt is over for a man accused of opening fire on a Sealy police officer. It all started with a traffic stop in Sealy just after 3:30am and ended hours later, at a Super 8 Motel in Wharton.

Whether on horseback, or by car, law enforcement officers from around Sealy spent all morning searching for Travis Bluntson before he was finally located in a Wharton area motel where surveillance video shows he was arrested without fanfare.

DPS Trooper Erik Burse said, "He was held up in a Super 8 Motel in Wharton, Texas. When they burst in on the room, he gave up, no resistance at all."

But what ended peacefully certainly didn't begin that way. Just after 3:30am, law enforcement tried to stop Bluntson for speeding. Instead, he allegedly fired shots at the officer, hitting his patrol car. Nearby, business operators took cover.

Travel stop worker Charles Strozier said, "Simple traffic stop, the guy started shooting at the cop that stopped him. They ordered her to lock this place down."

Bluntson had already crashed the car he was driving. Authorities speculate he most likely got a ride to Wharton. They said it was good investigating and modern technology that led them to the Super 8 Motel.

"I think we might have used some electronics, as far as what that person may have had as a cell phone or a computer or something like that, which we can always go back and find out where you're at," Trooper Burse explained.

Bluntson will face charges of attempted capital murder of a police officer and neighbors say they're relieved he's caught.

Those who live in the area said they were afraid for their safety during the manhunt. The officer who was shot at suffered only minor injuries.

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sealy, local, miya shay

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