Suspect Charged With Assault on a Family Member and Felony Criminal Mischief

Recently, Westside Division Patrol officers responded to an assault in progress at a store at 1500 Eldridge Pkwy, after a citizen alerted an HFD firefighter to a man assaulting a woman in the parking lot of the store. The firefighter asked for HPD to respond.

Officers arrived and found the victim locked in the business bathroom and the suspect standing outside. Since initial information indicated the suspect had assaulted the victim, officers gave immediate commands for the suspect to place his hands behind his back.

The suspect refused verbal commands and instead, gripped the water fountain that was attached to the wall. Officers placed one handcuff on the suspect’s left wrist, but the suspect pulled his hand away and placed it back on the water fountain. Officers continued to give verbal commands to the suspect, even as he actively resisted arrest. His grip on the water fountain caused it to break. With the assistance of HFD and other officers on the scene, the suspect was finally taken into custody.

During the struggle, the suspect swung his right elbow and struck one officer in the eye and lip, causing injuries. 

The victim told officers that she had gotten into a verbal argument with the suspect, as he wanted her to move out of their residence. She said he grabbed her arm and pinched her so hard she felt pain and had been violent with her in the past. She did not exit the store bathroom until the suspect was in police custody.

The firefighter witnessed the suspect push the victim several times, including pushing her into the window of the store. The firefighter also witnessed the victim run away from the suspect into the store with the suspect chasing her. 

The suspect was charged with assault on a peace officer, assault family violence with a prior conviction, and felony criminal mischief.

Great collaborative work getting a dangerous suspect into custody. 

K9 Moxie Helps Make an Arrest

Recently, Central Patrol Division officers responded to a robbery call at 2200 Fulton. The victim had given three men a ride to a local store. After arriving, he asked the suspects to leave his vehicle, but one grabbed him and forcibly threw him out of the vehicle to the ground. The suspects left with the victim’s vehicle.

The next day, Central Patrol Division officers saw the victim’s vehicle parked at a business at 2200 Airline. Officers confirmed the vehicle was listed as stolen and went inside the business to investigate. One witness, who reported seeing two males exit the vehicle and go into the business, pointed out one of the men inside. 

Officers approached the suspect and began speaking with him. The suspect became visibly agitated, pacing back and forth. Officers attempted to place the suspect in handcuffs but, he began to back away and then fled on foot. The suspect ran out through the back of the business and ran southbound as officers gave verbal commands for the suspect to stop.

The HPD K9 Unit, including K9 “Moxie,” responded to the scene to provide assistance and perimeter was set up.  As HPD K9 searched the area near 1800 Napa, Moxie showed signs that the suspect was near and led his handler to a small storage shed.  As Moxie tried to enter the door of the shed, the suspect pushed it closed.   The officer gave verbal commands for the suspect to exit the shed, which the suspect initially ignored. 

Moxie made entry into the shed, and the suspect began fighting with Moxie. The suspect pushed his way out of the shed and attempted to flee on foot again, but Moxie held on to the suspect. He eventually complied with officers’ verbal commands and was taken into custody without further incident. 

The suspect was charged with evading arrest on foot, which is a felony because of a prior conviction, and attack on an assistance animal, which is also a felony. 

Great work by all involved to get this suspect into custody.

Clear Lake Patrol

Clear Lake Patrol officers were recently dispatched to a robbery in-progress call at a convenience store at 11000 Fuqua Street.  The caller said there was a male inside the store with a knife. The first officers to arrive saw a male inside the store with blood dripping from his hand. All customers had been able to exit the store safely.

Officers quickly noted that the suspect did not have a knife, but witnesses reaffirmed that the suspect had a knife when he first entered the store. Officers entered the store and gave the suspect verbal commands to put his hands up.  Initially, the suspect complied when given verbal commands, but when officers went to put on the second handcuff, the suspect became aggressive and pulled officers off balance.  One officer deployed a a conducted energy device (CED or "Taser") on the suspect, but it had no effect.  A second CED deployment also had no effect. 

The suspect continued to struggle with officers.  A third CED deployment proved effective, and officers were able to place the suspect into custody with the help of bystanders.

No charges were accepted on the suspect as it appeared he had a mental episode or was under the influence of an unknown substance.  The suspect was transported to an area hospital under an Emergency Detention Order.

Great job by these officers to get this suspect safely into custody with no injuries to anyone.

Violent Domestic Abuser Taken Into Custody

Recently, Southeast Patrol officers responded to a disturbance at 4700 Wenda Road. Due to previous incidents at this location, two officers from the Robbery Division Violent Offender Squad also responded. Officers learned that the victim’s estranged boyfriend, Donald Demouchette, 29, was sitting outside her residence in his vehicle and quickly took him into custody.

The victim, 34, had filed two previous reports against Demouchette. Just nine days before, she said Demouchette had punched her, causing a black eye, and then stole her vehicle. A week later, the woman reported Demouchette strangled and physically assaulted her.

Upon learning Demouchette was outside her apartment, the woman called police.  She told our responding officers this was now the third time he had come to her apartment and she was scared. Based on those two previous encounters, officers were able to obtain charges  for assault on a family member and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. After the second assault, Demouchette was also charged with continuous violence against the family.

Demouchette was found in possession of methamphetamine when he was arrested and as a result also charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Great work by these officers to get this violent suspect off of the streets!

At the time of his arrest, Demouchette was on bail for evading arrest in a vehicle, driving while intoxicated, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. These charges were filed between February and November of 2019.

Demouchette has prior convictions for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and driving while intoxicated. 

South Central Patrol use Time, Distance, and Cover to Take an Armed Suspect into Custody

This past weekend, South Central Patrol officers were dispatched to a call at 2800 Travis. The caller was a security guard at the Midtown Park who reported a man, armed with a knife, was trespassing in the park. 

Our officers arrived at the park and attempted to convince the man to drop the knife.  Instead, the suspect screamed at the officers and refused to comply.  Officers continued to give him verbal commands to put down the weapon while doing a great job of maintaining distance and cover, developing a plan, and waiting for additional officers.

Officers continued to talk to the suspect, who responded by waving the knife.  Eventually, two officers deployed their conducted energy devices (CEDs) in order to subdue the suspect by using less-than-lethal force.  When they did, the suspect dropped the knife and was arrested without further incident.

Great work by our South Central Patrol officers to safely take this suspect into custody.

Robbery Detective Helps Nab Serial Robber

Southeast Patrol officers were dispatched to a robbery in progress at a store located in the 8000 block of Fuqua. A Robbery Division detective knew there had been previous robberies recently at this location, so he headed to the area to assist patrol.

As the detective approached the intersection of Fuqua and Telephone Rd, he heard over the radio that the suspect had crashed his maroon Chevrolet Impala into a church. The detective saw the vehicle and observed the suspect exit the driver side and flee on foot. The detective, dressed in full police uniform, chased the suspect and saw him throw something over a fence.

The suspect then stopped and surrendered without incident to the detective. Officers searched the area where the detective observed the suspect throw something and found a pistol, a distinctive face covering identified as used in a previous robbery of the store, and a cell phone.

The suspect was brought back to the store where a witness identified him as the person who had just robbed the business. In addition, the detective learned the suspect was possibly tied to two previous robberies at the same location days before. Following a further investigation, the suspect was charged with all three robberies.

At the time of his arrest, the 18-year-old suspect was on bail with eight pending charges in the Harris County Courts including: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, attempted burglary of a habitation, and unlawful carrying of a weapon.

Great work by Robbery Division and Southeast Patrol to get a suspected serial robbery suspect off the streets!

Auto Theft Returns Money to Innocent Purchaser

Earlier this week, officers with the Houston Auto Crimes Task Force found a stolen 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe in an apartment complex parking lot listed for sale online. While waiting for North Belt Patrol Units to assist, an innocent purchaser who had driven from Dallas arrived and paid the suspects $15,000 cash for the vehicle.

Plain clothes officers were able to follow the suspects after they left the scene to a convenience store nearby where, with the help of patrol officers, they were arrested driving a stolen 2015 Dodge truck.

Patrol officers were able to pull over the stolen Tahoe driven by the innocent purchaser and explained the situation.  Officers returned the $15,000 to the innocent purchaser. Two stolen trucks were recovered valued at more than $51,000.00, and 3 felony charges were filed against two suspects.

Often times if the deal sounds too good to be true online, then it probably is. Great collaborative work by these officers!

Quaid Landheart

Another great effort by one of HPD’s detectives. Officer S. Phillips of the Cyber & Financial Crimes Division investigated two cases in which big ticket merchandise were stolen from local stores using fraudulent credit cards. 

After identifying Quaid Landheart, 30, Officer Phillips learned Landheart was awaiting trial on two additional cases and linked Landheart to yet another case. Consequently, Officer Phillips charged Landheart in three separate felony theft cases.

Landheart is currently on bail in five separate cases of felony theft.

Ashley Yates

Cyber & Financial Crimes Investigator R Bearden recently solved an embezzlement case involving the theft of $539,740.60. 

After an extensive review of financial evidence, Detective Bearden determined Ashley Yates, 35, committed the theft by diverting payments intended for her employer to her personal use.  She is accused of using 396 checks and 734 credit card transactions to divert money over a four year period beginning in 2015. Yates was arrested and charged with First Degree Felony Theft in the 179^th Judicial District Court on April 20^th, 2020. She is currently out on a $30,000 bond.

Yates has a history of arrest. On August, 29^th, 2013, Yates was accused of assaulting the manager of the property where she resided. Yates had obtained her apartment fraudulently by using another person's identifying information.  She was charged with Assault-Bodily Injury (County Court at Law #7) and two felony counts of Fraudulent Use of Identifying Information (179th Judicial District Court). As part of a plea deal, the felony charges were dismissed and Yates received 9 months of deferred adjudication for the misdemeanor assault.

Deferred adjudication is a form of leniency in which the defendant admits guilt and the court orders a period of probation. If the defendant completes the probation satisfactorily, the court dismisses the charge formally. Typically, failure to complete probation will result in an adjudication of guilt. 

While on deferred adjudication for the assault, Yates was charged on December 4^th, 2014 in a felony embezzlement scheme resulting in the aggregate theft of more than $1500, and on December 16^th, 2014, she was released from probation with "Unsatisfactory Termination" without a guilty adjudication.

On September 1st, 2015, Yates was placed on 3 years deferred adjudication again, this time for the felony offense. On September 12^th, 2018, Yates was released from deferred adjudication for "Unsatisfactory Termination" without a guilty adjudication.

Nicholas Mooton

Outstanding arrests by our officers of the Midwest and South Gessner Crime Suppression Teams and the Procedural Justice Hot Spot Units who responded to a violent carjacking of a Toyota Sequoia from a family with two kids. Officers located the Sequoia with several suspects and another stolen vehicle, a Dodge pickup. After a short foot pursuit, officers arrested Nicholas Mooton and two juveniles male associates for Aggravated Robbery with a Deadly Weapon. All three are members of a criminal street gang.  

Officers determined Suspect Mooton wielded the pistol used during the robbery while the juveniles drove the stolen vehicles. Mooton wore a court-ordered ankle monitor during the robbery.  At the time of the robbery, Mooton was on a PR bond for Carrying a Handgun in a Motor Vehicle involving a firearm discovered during an investigation of a May 2, 2020 drive-by shooting at 4398 Alvin St. In that case, Mooton was a passenger in a stolen vehicle that was targeted by shooters from a rival gang.