After a person of interest was looked into in the 700 block of Hackberry in the Forest of Friendswood neighborhood early on November 6, five people were arrested. Officers were called around 2:00 a.m. to say that two people had been found breaking into a car.
When police arrived, they started searching the area and found a white 2023 Chevrolet Equinox that looked strange. It had been seen driving near where the break-in had been reported. The suspect vehicle, a rental car, was found. During a traffic stop, police found several people inside, including one who seemed tense.
During the stop, police smelled marijuana coming from the car and saw that the people inside were acting in a strange way. A check of the car turned up a loaded Glock handgun that had been reported stolen from Harris County. The gun and drug paraphernalia were also found.
Officers also found a big amount of money and personal identification belonging to a person who had reported a recent car theft in the area.
The following people were caught and charged with different crimes:
Damiean Warfield, 20, from Houston, was charged with being a member of an organized crime group. He also had warrants out for his arrest.
The 20-year-old Humble resident Jordan Esmond Serrette was charged with Organized Crime. He was caught for breaking into a car and having a stolen gun on him. Katrell Calhoun, 20, from Houston, was charged with being a part of organized crime. He was caught for having marijuana on him.
Omanii Jae Rucker, 18, from Baytown, was charged with taking part in organized crime. She was caught for having a gun that had been stolen.
Joshua Baldwin, 17, of Baytown was charged with being a member of an organized crime group. An arrest was made for having stolen identification on him.
All five people were taken to the Friendswood City Jail to be booked and processed.
The investigation into this event is still going on, and more charges may be coming soon.
Recently, criminals have been going after a number of neighborhoods. Along with the car thefts, a new wave of mailbox thefts has put the police on high alert. In one case, the suspect was caught trying to cash a fake check at several banks, which led to their arrest.
People are told to be proactive by locking their cars, calling the police when they see something fishy, and dropping off their mail in safe places, especially if it has sensitive financial information on it.