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HomeLocal / Area NewsON THIS DAY, JANUARY 5,____- VIDEO NEWS STORIES FROM YEARS PAST

ON THIS DAY, JANUARY 5,____- VIDEO NEWS STORIES FROM YEARS PAST

VIDEOS OF NEWS STORIES FROM YEARS PAST ON THIS DATE

 


JANUARY 5, 2009
MCSO AND DEA ASSIST CONSTABLE HAYDEN DECON PROPERTY ROOM OF METH COMPONENTS
A hazmat team comprised of members of the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit removed dangerous chemicals commonly used in the production of methamphetamine from the East County Annex on Monday.

The chemicals were stored in the evidence room of the Precinct 4 Constable’s Office in the rear of the annex, located on Highway 59 in New Caney, and were discovered during an inventory by the new administration and an investigator with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.

Newly elected Precinct 4 Constable Rowdy Hayden said the chemicals were discovered during an initial inventory of the evidence room.

“During the inventory process we discovered chemicals that were used in a meth lab, which were in the evidence room,” Hayden said. “Some of the chemicals had already started reacting with each other, so we notified the Montgomery County (Sheriff’s Office) SIU and the DEA.”

Writing on the containers indicated the items were taken into evidence around the year 2000, he said.
“(SIU and DEA officers) came to the office, brought their hazmat team, and properly disposed of the chemicals,” Hayden said. “It was a safety issue having such volatile chemicals in here.”

Lt. Philip Cash, who heads up the MCSO SIU, is a long-time member and now supervisor of an enforcement group called HIDTA, which stands for High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Cash donned hazmat gear then removed and examined the dangerous components found in the evidence room, before separating them into containers for safe transport to an approved disposal facility.

Cash said while at one time there was no protocol for disposing of hazardous materials, in recent years, many agencies had begun calling hazmat teams to scenes for removal if the materials could simply be documented and were not required as physical evidence.

Both bases and acids were found in a safe inside the property room, Cash said, and had been there so long that some of the materials had eaten through paper and cardboard and begun to rust the inside of the safe.
If mixed, the two would have a “very violent” reaction, Cash said.

“There was a chemical smell in the room that I strongly associate with a meth lab,” the veteran narcotics lieutenant said.

Cash stopped short of criticizing the administration of former Constable Travis Bishop, saying it was important to note that a methamphetamine lab had been taken off the streets of East Montgomery County, which was a definite positive.

Hayden said he was surprised at the discovery and concerned to realize the chemicals were stored in a room adjacent to the office that until recently was occupied by Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts.
He said there are procedures in place for oversight of county offices from one administration to another, but not for seized items.

“There’s no checks and balances for the transfer of an evidence room,” Hayden said, “So Chief (Barry) Welch and I devised a program that wouldn’t jeopardize the custody of the evidence.”

The prior administration was prepared to hand over the evidence, but Hayden and District Attorney Brett Ligon agreed to have the DA’s office act as a third-party law enforcement agency during the transfer, by handing the keys immediately to an investigator from Ligon’s office.

The two agencies began conducting a joint inventory the day after Hayden and Ligon took their oaths of office, which was when the shocking discovery was made, abruptly halting the inventory.

“We secured and sealed the room to prevent danger to any of the employees due to the volatile chemicals in question,” Hayden said.

As for the remaining evidence, Hayden says any case already closed will be presented to a judge for a destruction order and subsequent proper disposal.

Like Cash, Hayden chose not to directly comment on Bishop’s handling of evidence.

“I don’t want to harp on what the former administration did or didn’t do, but I can tell you what my administration is going to do,” he said. “We’re going to establish policies and procedures to keep something like this from happening again.”

As the hazardous materials were removed from Hayden’s office on Monday morning, a locksmith arrived to further secure the facility.

Locks were re-keyed, with keys that cannot be duplicated on Hayden’s office and the property room.
The property room also has 24 hour video surveillance and Hayden is working with Ligon’s office to create a security system that will not allow anyone to access the room alone, but will require two people and eventually have a fingerprinting system installed as well.

Hayden said he and his staff are reorganizing their new office and have already begun to implement their most important policy.

“Our number one job is to protect the citizens of Precinct 4,” Hayden said.


JANUARY 5, 2011
AUTO VS TRAIN CRASH IN CONROE


JANUARY 5, 2013
PINE VIEW HOUSE FIRE
Just after 2:30 p.m., Caney Creek Fire Department was dispatched to a mobile home fire in the 17000 block of Pine View. The first arriving unit on the scene stated he had heavy fire conditions in a mobile home. Needham and Central Montgomery County also were en route to assist with the fire.

The homeowner Selena Armstrong told firefighters she was asleep when the smoke detectors started going off. She immediately got up and when she opened the door to the heating unit, “it was like a rocket:, she said. Flames were going into the attic. She also told them her small dog was in a kennel in her bedroom and she was not able to get to her.

Crews battled the stubborn fire for quite some time as it ran through the attic. As one crew had entered near the rear of the home and worked its the way in starting making progress on cutting off the fire. That’s when the roof collapsed on them. A RIT team was immediately deployed as air horns sounded from the fire trucks warning other firefighters to evacuate the home. The crew made it out, covered in debris, however, their hose lies were trapped under the roof. One of the firefighters had his helmet broken as the roof came in.

Crews were able to locate the kennel in the bedroom covered in the debris but the dog was not in it.

Then almost two hours later as firefighters were overhauling the home they lifted the couch to move it outside. Under it, “Lucy” shaking and scared but uninjured. Firefighters immediately move the dog outside and administered oxygen.

Selena was unable to hold back her emotions as she took “Lucy” in her arms.

Armstrong who lives at the home with her 15-year-old son had no insurance. The home and contents were a total loss.

Assistant Montgomery County Fire Marshal Joe Manz said that this is one time without a doubt he can sy that smoke detectors saved Ms. Armstrong’s life.


JANUARY 5, 2014
PURSUIT LIVINGSTON TO HUMBLE
Livingston Police confronted a man just after 8 pm Sunday as he was attempting to break into vehicles in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Livingston. The suspect jumped into his Toyota and fled north on US 59. Just north of Livingston he made a u-turn and started southbound between seventy and ninety miles per hour.

Soon DPS joined in the pursuit along with Cleveland and Liberty County. When they entered Montgomery County several Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to spike the vehicle as did DPS, As they passed Community Drive two tires were spiked. Roman Forest Police and Patton Village also joined in the pursuit.

The vehicle exited FM 1960 at approximately forty miles-per-hour where Humble, Houston and Harris County Precinct 4 and Harris County Sheriff’s units joined into the pursuit.

The driver not proceeding at about five miles-per-hour then cut into the Deerbrook Mall parking lot. He then turned out onto FM 1960 and traveled west to just past Lee Road, made a u-turn and went back eastbound across US 59.

After traveling for almost a mile the driver made another u-turn and started west toward US 59. Just before reaching US 59 his vehicle gave out and officers were able to remove him from the vehicle.

After being taken to Houston to be magistrate he will be taken back to Livingston tonight to face charges there.

The driver has not yet been positively identified.

The chase lasted for close to two hours.


JANUARY 5, 2016
HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT 4 PURSUIT


JANUARY 5, 2017
FM 1485 FATAL CRASH
Just before 5 a.m. Friday a major accident was reported on FM 1485 East near Heights Drive. EMC and Porter Fire responded to the scene along with MCHD. They arrived on the scene to find a male deceased in a Honda Accord. On the opposite side of the road was a Chevrolet pickup with heavy damage. That driver was transported to the hospital in critical condition. Investigators believe the driver of the pickup who was eastbound on FM 1485 may have been distracted and crossed the centerline of the roadway in a curve. He then struck the Honda head-on almost ripping it in two. FM 1485 was closed until just before 9 a.m. Montgomery County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts responded to the scene and ordered Eickenhorst Funeral Directors to transport the victim to the Montgomery County Forensic Center for autopsy. The crash remains under investigation.


JANUARY 5, 2018
STALEY SCHOLARSHIP
On Friday members of Lone Star College, Porter Fire Department and The Woodlands Fire Department and the parents of the late Porter firefighter Gary Staley met at the Lone Star College Campus on Research Forest. The purpose of the meeting was the presentation of a check for $50,000 to the Lone Star College for students wanting to enter the fire service. On January 19, 2003, Gary Staley, 31, who was a volunteer with the Porter Volunteer Fire Department for just over 2-years responded to an auto restoration shop fire in the 24600 block of Loop 494 in Porter. while fighting that fire, While battling the blaze Staley and several firefighters entered the building. When the fire intensified Staley and three other firefighters started to pull back out of the building. They became separated and three of the four finally made it out. Two sustained critical burns and other minor burns. Staley did not make it out. The fire in which Staley lost his life determined to have been caused after a tile man used lacquer thinner while working on the building. When he plugged in a space heater, the vapors ignited. Don Staley, Gary’s father decided then to start the Gary Staley Memorial Fund. This fund was to help young people who are going into the fire service to assist in their college education. Since then several events have been held including a yearly golf tournament. Don Staley, Gary’s father said, “we started giving scholarships in 2003 after Gary died in a fire. Before Gary was killed, he came to us and we were his scholarship so thought it was a fitting thing to start a scholarship fund in his honor.” The Memorial Fund has since put out over 200 scholarships with this being the largest.


JANUARY 5, 2019
RIVERSIDE RIVER RESCUE AFTER CAR DRIVES AROUND BARRICADE
Saturday morning just after 10:30 am Walker County 911 Operators took a call from a Texarkana man who was enroute to the Estelle Prison Unit in Riverside, Texas to visit his son. He told operators that he was on FM 3478 and went around the HIGH WATER barricades that were placed in the roadway. He stated that his Nissan had gotten partially across the bridge over the Trinity River when it died due to high water. He stated the water was quite swift and they were unable to exit their vehicle. With him was his 27-year-old son and a fourteen-year-old male. DPS, Walker County Sheriff’s Office, Riverside Fire Department and Walker County Fire Departments responded. When they arrived it was determined the current was to swift to enter by boat so they decided to use a high rescue vehicle. Firefighters were able to get all the victims out safely. According to DPS Trooper Hernandez, who has been through swift water rescue schools and understands the dangers not just to the person who disregarded the barricades but to the First Responders. Hernandez said it is a Class C Misdemeanor to drive around a barricade in the State of Texas. However, Disregarding a Water On Roadway sign in the State of Texas, it is a Class B Misdemeanor. A fine can be as high as $2,000 or a person can receive 180 days in jail. Trooper Hernandez arrested Jose Guzman-Magana, who would be celebrating his 59th birthday tomorrow. He was booked into the Walker County Jail on “Disregarding Water On Roadway Sign”. The Trooper drove the 27-year-old and the 14-year-old to the Estelle unit which was just 2-miles down the road where they were going to wait on a family member to drive down to pick them up. The driver also had been charged with Child Endangerment due to the 14-year-old in the vehicle.

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