164 Parole Violators Arrested In Regional Round Up: Poilice

HOUSTON — A new regional task force focused on finding and arresting parole violators helped put more than 160 parole violators back behind bars in September. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo announced the arrests during a press conference at HPD Headquarters on Tuesday.

“We need to have an effective mechanism to go after parolees who do not adhere to the conditions of parole,” Acevedo said. “This is a beginning. This is the first of a collective, regional effort to hold parolees accountable…”

The task force was spurred by the actions of 46-year-old Jose Rodriguez, a parolee who in July cut off his ankle monitor and embarked on a weekend crime spree that included robbery, aggravated assault, and multiple murders.

Photos of the 86 HPD parole violator arrests are available on the HPD Flickr page at https://t.co/J6mpVrFnir pic.twitter.com/knoxIsGAMv
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) November 27, 2018

When Rodriguez was finally caught, three people had been murdered, a METRO bus driver had been shot, and one home invasion had been committed.

READ ALSO: Accused Serial Killer Named In Houston Crime Spree

Sixteen area law enforcement agencies took part in the regional task force. Some of those law enforcement agencies include:

• Houston Police
• Harris County Sheriff’s Office
• Waller County Sheriff’s Office
• Harris County Constables 3,4, and 8
• Galveston County Sheriff’s Office
• Chambers County Sheriff’s Office
• Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
• Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office
• Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office
• Texas DPS
• U.S. Marshal Service
• Galveston Police
• Texas City Police

"Our team picked up parole violators wanted for everything from murder all the way down to theft of firearms," said Pct. 3 Chief Deputy Constable Kirk Bonsal. “When you get right down to it’s a quality of life issue. We’re taking these bad guys out of these neighborhoods; it’s a better place for our families."

Major Tony Huhyn with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office commended the task force operations and credited it with helping clear open cases committed by parole violators.

According to Huhyn, they arrested 25 parolees who were wanted on 34 open warrants.

Acevedo said the task force will announce arrests of parole violators on a quarterly basis.

(For more news and information like this, subscribe to Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

Image: Shutterstock

Send your news tips and story ideas to bryan.kirk@patch.com