Category — Houston, Texas

An 18-year-old Cy Fair High School student accused of hacking into the school district’s computer system was arrested Tuesday at the school, Precinct 4 Constables said. On Feb. 10, Richard Urban deleted the computer records of 15 teachers and gave all students at the high school complete access to Cyfair Independent School District computers, investigators said.  The district said it cost more …

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans coroner says a Houston energy executive drowned in the Mississippi River, and apparently hit his forehead as he fell from a steamboat dock. Dr. Frank Minyard said Wednesday that the autopsy of 54-year-old Douglas Schantz found a lesion on his forehead as well as evidence of drowning. Minyard says he expects results of blood tests in two to three weeks, showing how …

HOUSTON—A man was arrested in northwest Harris County Wednesday after allegedly exposing himself to a 19-year-old girl. Deputies said it happened near the intersection of Cypresswood and Kuykendahl. A postal worker trailed the suspect and called 911. Deputies quickly arrived and arrested the suspect. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office believes the suspect may be responsible for other cases in …

HOUSTON—A murder trial was on hold in Houston Wednesday after the defendant shot himself in the head. David Earl Brown was on trial for the shooting death of Whitt Bruney, a Montrose neighbor with whom he had a long-standing feud. Police said Brown went to the front yard of a witness to the shooting Wednesday morning, put a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. At last check, he was still …

HOUSTON - The Texas Associated Press Broadcasters (TAPB) announced the winners of its 2009-2010 television contest, honoring KHOU-TV Channel 11 with the most total awards and most first-place awards of any large-market television station in Texas. The 11 News team was recognized with 23 TAPB awards, 10 of those being first-place honors. Each year, the TAPB recognizes excellence and achievement …

AUSTIN, Texas—The politically shifting State Board of Education opened discussion of new social studies curriculum standards Wednesday with a plea that the Christian “heritage from which our nation was founded” be reflected in the new standards. The board—long led by social conservatives who have advocated for ideas such as teaching Texas children more about the weaknesses of evolutionary theory …

HOUSTON – Educators from across the county joined together Wednesday to develop what they feel is a uniform and more vigorous standard for Math and English. They are hoping the list of things proposed for students to learn at each grade level will replace a patchwork system across the country. Texas and Alaska are the only two states not participating in the effort. The Texas Commissioner of …

BRAZORIA COUNTY—Two women fired from the Brazoria County Juvenile Probation Department are suing the county. They claim they were dismissed from their jobs after claiming a judge sexually harassed them. Those claims led to charges against James Blackstock, a county law and probate judge.   The county’s district attorney said the allegations of retaliation are false, according to the Brazoria …

HOUSTON — A Memorial Middle School teacher is on administrative leave following allegations that she instructed all of her students to kick one boy for having kicked another child last Friday.  “All of us had to walk around and kick this kid,” said Taylor Reed, a 13-year-old student who was in the 8th grade U.S. history class. “Some people drop-kicked him and kicked him really hard.  He sits …

FORT WORTH, Texas  — A study released Wednesday says there’s a plausible connection between a series of earthquakes in North Texas and natural gas drilling. The dozen or so minor quakes were reported in a few Dallas suburbs from the fall of 2008 through last spring. The largest was a 3.3-magnitude quake, and no major injuries or damage were reported. The Southern Methodist University and …

HOUSTON – Officials are alerting consumers of a possible lead contamination involving clay pottery. The Houston Department of Health is warning people to stop buying or using the “Mi Patria” brand of clay pottery tableware.      The department said items such as pots, serving dishes and mugs may contain harmful levels of lead.   Eleven out of 23 pottery pieces tested contained lead or exceeded …

FRIENDSWOOD, Texas—A Friendswood man is facing felony charges after police say they caught him with methamphetamines. Christopher Metheny, 43, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a third-degree felony. Police said Metheny was pulled over around 9′30 p.m. Tuesday after he failed to stay in a single lane of traffic on Edgewood. Officers said Metheny …

COLDSPRING, Texas – An educator in Montgomery County is accused of at least one charge of indecency with a child by sexual contact. Dennis Isbell, a coach and teacher at Coldspring-Oakhurst High School, resigned last month when the allegations surfaced. Investigators said there may be multiple victims. The San Jacinto County District Attorney’s office said the investigation is ongoing, and they …

HOUSTON—One suspect is in custody after taking police on a high-speed chase through Houston. It started in the 3500 block of the Eastex Freeway in north Houston.  Police said around10′30 a.m., they began to pursue a suspect in a green Toyota Camry. The suspect was wanted for possibly assaulting a woman, according to police.  Police tailed the suspect for almost 30 minutes before the suspect …

HOUSTON—The Houston City Council just voted to give the police department $79,000 for a computer upgrade. The money will be used to replace the current system, which is 25 years old.   The new system will allow the department to tap into a national database of stolen goods.   Houston is the only agency not connected to the national database.

DALLAS — A federal court on Tuesday rejected the appeal of a Houston man sent to death row for the shooting death of his 19-month-old son. The rejection from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals moved Timothy Wayne Adams a step closer to execution for the February 2002 slaying of his namesake son, Timothy Wayne Adams Jr. In a brief order, the New Orleans-based court said Adams failed to show …

VICKSBURG, Miss. — Vicksburg police were looking for a Texan on charges related to a store robbery and shootout. Police Lt. Bobby Stewart tells the Vicksburg Post that a warrant was issued for 26-year-old Jaime Flores of Houston on three counts of armed robbery and one of aggravated assault. Stewart says Flores and another man allegedly robbed the store last Thursday before being chased down …

HOUSTON—The president and CEO of the Metropolitan Transit Authority was accused in open court Wednesday of having an improper relationship with a female employee who works for him.   That alleged relationship may include taxpayer-funded trips to Spain, additional compensation and benefits, and other items the public paid for with tax dollars, according to the attorney for former Houston …

GALVESTON, Texas — A Houston-Galveston passenger train will be a step closer to reality today if Galveston County commissioners begin the process of creating a county-wide transportation district as expected. The creation of a Galveston County urban and rural transit district would potentially pull together all 13 municipalities in the county, providing a single voice to negotiate with Houston …

LIBERTY COUNTY, Texas—One Liberty County deputy was released from the hospital and another is still receiving treatment after a shootout with a gunman near Dayton.   Deputies Rex Evans and Jeremy Marcantel were rushed to the hospital after a suspect opened fire on them early Tuesday morning.   According to police, the two deputies drove to a house in the Woodland Hills subdivision after hearing …

GALVESTON, Texas — The University of Texas Medical Branch this week began mailing letters to another 1,200 patients whose personal information might have been compromised by a woman charged with identity theft. The new round of notices comes after the medical branch sent 1,200 letters last month to a different set of patients whose information may have been available to Katina Rochelle Candrick …

HOUSTON—Arson investigators believe a late-night fire at St. Joseph Medical Center in downtown Houston was intentionally set. The Houston Fire Department rushed to the hospital emergency room at the corner of Crawford and St. Joseph Parkway at 11 p.m. Tuesday. Hospital staff was in the process of evacuating everyone from the first floor to another area of the building. Firefighters found a stack …

HOUSTON – One day after Harris County Commissioners cut the budgets of nearly every county agency and department, 11 News has learned the City of Houston may have to make similar cuts. City Controller Ronald Green told the Houston City Council this morning there was little good news in his monthly budget report.   He said the city’s current budget gap is widening rather than narrowing. Right now …

WILLIS, Texas—A suspect was in custody after a multi-county, high-speed chase early Wednesday morning. The chase started in Harris County and lasted about 30 minutes. Investigators said the suspect exceeded 100mph at times. When the chase crossed into Montgomery County, deputies there, as well as officers with the Willis Police Department and Texas DPS, joined the effort. Capt. Rand Henderson of …

GALVESTON, Texas — Seventeen months of waiting to move back into her Hurricane Ike-damaged house in Crystal Beach nearly pushed Kathy Shobert to a breaking point. She is among the 991 county residents who applied for funds to help repair or rebuild their hurricane-damaged houses but who have had to wait for the construction work actually to begin. Tuesday, after a well-timed complaint session …

LEAGUE CITY, Texas — A woman’s videotaped confession, in which she admitted to strangling her mother, was the “smoking gun” the jury needed to convict her of murder and sentence her to 50 years in prison, a juror said Tuesday. Erin Ashlyn Moffatt, 20, was convicted Monday of strangling Jana S. Moffatt, 47, in her League City home and helping her boyfriend dump her body in a Brazoria County oil …

GALVESTON, Texas — A man and his wife who were indicted in a $1.5 million theft from his mother spent the money on a trip to Hawaii, new cars and land, a prosecutor said Tuesday. Edwin Garrott Armstead, 50, and his wife Mary Armstead, 36, appeared Tuesday in Galveston’s 212th District Court, but Judge Susan Criss refused to lower their bonds at the request of their attorney, R.A. Apffel. Bond …

HOUSTON — As the Harris County jail strives for ways to cut operating costs, it aims for a more efficient approach to solve jail overcrowding, 11 News’ Brad Woodard reported. On average, the Harris County jail houses some 11,000 inmates each month. The solution for handling excess prisoners for the past couple of years now has been to outsource them to other facilities in Louisiana and now …

HOUSTON — This year’s Art Car Parade’s grand marshal will be Dan Aykroyd, the parade organizers announced Tuesday. The parade organizers say the comedy legend approached them about hosting the 23rd annual parade, which takes place on May 8 in Houston.     Aykroyd is best known for his acting roles in The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters. The parade features more than 200 eccentric vehicles that …

The December death of a former World Wrestling Entertainment star in Spring was caused primarily by the combined effects of painkillers and a muscle relaxant, according to an autopsy report released this week. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, formerly the Harris County Medical Examiners Office, classified 36-year-old Edward Fatu’s death as “accidental” in the nine-page report …