Historic rains soak Houston and vicinity

CBS/AP) HOUSTON - Historic rainfall levels that drenched the Houston area this week flooded dozens of homes and caused widespread street flooding, but the rain also is likely to result in the end of drought conditions in Southeast Texas, officials said Friday.

Officials estimated that fewer than 100 homes were flooded after Cypress Creek, located in the northwest part of the Houston area, rose above its banks after getting about 14 inches of rain over the past couple of days, said Francisco Sanchez, a spokesman for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

County officials were still trying to reach flooded neighborhoods oan Friday to better assess the damage, but initial reports had homes affected anywhere from a few inches to a couple of feet of water, Sanchez said.

"Some areas along Cypress Creek got more rain in the last 24 hours than in Hurricane Ike (in 2008) or from major flooding in 1998," Sanchez said.

CBS Affiliate KHOU reports it will be mostly dry Saturday morning, but there is a 60-percent chance of rain beginning in the afternoon.

A flood warning is in effect until 8:50 a.m. Sunday for northwest Harris County and Montgomery County. A flood warning is in effect until 10 Sunday night for the Spring Creek area of Harris County.

In northwest Harris County, a good portion of the subdivision called the Enchanted Valley Estates was only accessible by boat. Homeowners could be seen using canoes, pontoon boats and even a jet ski to navigate around the area.

Firefighters rescued several families from the Norchester subdivision near Cypress Creek Friday when two to three feet of water seeped into their homes overnight.

Several people also had to be rescued early Friday morning after driving into high water.

Gary Whitaker Jr., who lives in one of the areas affected by Cypress Creek, said street flooding in his neighborhood had started to recede on Friday but a nearby subdivision still had streets that were impassable. Water from the creek was flowing "like a waterfall" across one street and into a golf course, he said.

"Quite a few people in our subdivision couldn't go to work today. They couldn't get out (due to flooded streets). It was pretty risky," he said.

Whitaker, 36, who lives in Cypress, an unincorporated area in northwest Harris County, said there were no reports of flooded homes in his neighborhood.

The American Red Cross in Houston sent out workers Friday to affected neighborhoods to assess the flooded homes, said spokesman Cameron Ballantyne. The agency had not opened any shelters.

In Montgomery County, located just north of Harris County, officials reported seven to eight flooded homes.

A shelter had been opened in Montgomery County at Living Stones Church in Magnolia, but church secretary Linda Arnold said no residents had used the facility.

Victor Murphy, a climate expert with the National Weather Service, said one rain gauge on the border of Harris and Waller counties recorded 10.3 inches of rain in a 10 hour period.

Murphy said that amount of precipitation within that short period of time suggests that area experienced a "100-year rainfall event," which caused Cypress Creek to overflow.

Other areas in Southeast Texas also got large amounts of rain, including just west of Bay City in Matagorda County, which received about 18 inches this past week.

"Rainfall in the entire (Southeast Texas) area this week was in the 8 to 10 inch category," he said. "The average weekly rainfall for this time of year is about 1 inch or so."

While the current U.S. Drought Monitor shows some parts of Southeast Texas as being abnormally dry, that does not include this week's rainfall totals.

"When the next U.S. Drought Monitor comes out Thursday, there will not be any drought in Southeast Texas," Murphy said. Most of the rest of the state was expected to remain in drought conditions.

Even if Southeast Texas only experiences average rainfall or dry weather the rest of the summer, drought conditions should be kept at bay until at least the fall, Murphy said.

Sanchez said officials were hopeful Cypress Creek, which was still rising Friday, would eventually recede if the area was not inundated with more rain. Water levels at two other nearby creeks which had also flowed out of their banks, had started to fall.

Rain was forecast for this weekend but the chances of showers were expected to be lower than earlier this week.

KIngwood & vicinity July 4th events slated

THE CHRON: Fourth of July celebrations will soon blast off in Kingwood and surrounding areas.

Organizers promise a full schedule of events to commemorate the nation's birthday, culminating in one of the largest firework displays in the Houston area.

There are several options for neighborhood celebrations, complete with parade, fishing rodeo and bicycle-decorating contest.

1 The Kingwood Civic Club is hosting a Fourth of July Parade on Wednesday. Lineup for the parade begins at the corner of Feather Lakes and West Lake Houston Parkway at 7 a.m.

Float judging starts at 9 a.m. and the parade kicks off at 10 a.m. from Creekwood Middle School on Sandy Forks. Parade participants must register and complete an application. Applications may be requested online at www.kingwoodcivicclub.org or picked up at the Kingwood YMCA.

For more information, email kingwoodcivicclub@yahoo.com.

Several activities are scheduled before the parade begins. A fishing rodeo begins at 6 a.m. at the Foster's Mill ponds, located on the corner of Kingwood Drive and Forest Garden. Children younger than 15 are invited to bring their fishing gear and compete for trophies in different categories. No registration is required.

A bike-judging contest begins at 8:30 a.m. at Kingwood Bible Church, located at 3610 West Lake Houston Parkway. Children are invited to decorate their bicycles to impress the judges and compete for a trophy. The decorated bicycles will then join the parade. No registration is required.

Organizers encourage residents to park at the Kingwood Park and Ride.

The July Fourth Festival will be held from 2 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. Residents can gather at Town Center Park, located at the intersection of Kingwood Drive and West Lake Houston Parkway, to enjoy live music and shop for arts and crafts. There will also be activities and bouncing castles for kids.

Music will be provided by "DJ KW" Mark Linabury from 2 to 6 p.m. There will be live music from 6 to 9 p.m. The event will culminate with a fireworks display.

Residents can enjoy a free concert from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday at Kings Harbor.

A classic rock band, the Acoustic Villains, will perform in the plaza. Guests are invited to bring blankets and lawn chairs. Kids are invited to cool off and play in the fountain.

1 Atascocita Community Improvement Association will hold its annual children's parade, beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 4, at the parking lot of the Atascocita Library, 19520 Pinehurst Trail Drive, Humble.

Registration begins at 9 a.m., and entry numbers will be assigned to all participants before the parade steps off at 10 a.m.

The parade will proceed down Pinehurst Trail toward Incredible Delights, the site of the former Country Club, 20114 Pinehurst Drive. The event will end with prizes and refreshments for children.

Humble police arrest hit & run driver that killed woman

Humble police have made an arrest in the June 16 hit-and-run that killed Jacquelyn Froeba, 31, of Splendora, as she walked along FM 1960 after leaving the Alibi Club.

ButtonMichael Ryan Button, 24, of Roman Forest

Montgomery County Police Reporter says in a story on its website that investigators initially were tracking a Mini Cooper reportedly seen that night, but determined it was not involved.

Instead, a piece from a Chevrolet Camaro found at the scene led to the Sunday night arrest of  Michael Ryan Button, 24, of Roman Forest, Police Reporter says.

Investigators with Humble Police Department and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office determined that damage to Button’s Camaro matched evidence from the accident scene.

A friend with Button that night also confirmed that he had fled the scene, Police Reporter says.

Car salesman's tale of kidnapping and robbery ...

KHOU: HUMBLE, Texas—A local car salesman is still shaken after being kidnapped from a lot and robbed in broad daylight.

"It was the most traumatic experience that I’ve ever had," said salesman David McCall.

It happened on a Saturday morning—May 26th—at Tejas Toyota in Humble. A man walked up to look at a truck, and McCall started chatting.

"You get as quick to the item as you can where you see if you’ve got a buyer or a liar—that’s what we say in the car business," said McCall. "I had a liar."

As McCall walked up to unlock a truck, and he said the bad guys jumped into action.

"I went to the lock box like this, opened it like this," McCall said. "At the time, he handcuffed this hand, throwed it behind me, throwed me against the truck, handcuffed the other hand."

McCall was tossed inside an SUV and noticed a man with a federal U.S. Marshal shirt on, telling him that the arrest was for drugs.

"I thought to myself, ‘How could I be under arrest for drugs,’" said McCall. "I’ve spent 367 days in Vietnam where drugs are plentiful, and I never done a drug in my life."

McCall said he wears tens of thousands of dollars in jewelry, including a $30,000 Rolex, and it was all taken "as evidence."

"He took everything I had, even down to my handkerchief and lip balm," said McCall. The jewelry was not insured.

Humble police are investigating.

"It’s very rare for somebody to be abducted and taken away from the location," said detective Eric Squier.

Police are looking at all possibilities, including an inside job. McCall said he would be shocked if a coworker was behind the kidnapping and robbery.

If you have any information in this case, call Humble police at 281-446-7127 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS

Kingwood soldier court-martial for slayings because of messy room.

FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) A Texas soldier has been found guilty by a court-martial in the 2010 slayings of two of his Army roommates in Iraq. Neftaly Platero of Kingwood was convicted yesterday after jurors deliberated for 90 minutes. 


Prosecutors say Platero shot and killed two fellow soldiers hours after he complained about their room being messy.

Humble mom forces kids to take nude photos of herself

Posted on May 11, 2012 at 9:33 AM

HUMBLE, Texas – A local mom who allegedly had her young daughters take naked photos of her so she could send them to her boyfriend is facing serious charges.

Rebecca Lynn Burrell, 34, is charged with indecency with a child.

According to court documents, she had both of her daughters, now 10 and 12, take nude or semi-nude photos of her in the past.

The youngest daughter said, when she was 8 or 9, she took photos of her mother’s exposed private parts with a cell phone in her mother’s bedroom. She said Burrell told her the photos would be sent to Burrell’s boyfriend.

The girl also said she saw a photo of the boyfriend’s privates on her mother’s cell phone, while her mom was in the shower.

The older daughter told investigators she took photos of her mom wearing a dress with no underwear, bending over and showing her buttocks. She also said Burrell told her the images were for her boyfriend.

When investigators interviewed Burrell, they said she denied ever having her daughters photograph her nude, calling both girls liars.

Charges were filed on May 9

Humble couple fighting to save home

HUMBLE, TX (KTRK) -- A homeowner in Humble is fighting to save his house after it was sold at auction to pay off a debt. Texas law protects homeowners from that if they have a homestead exemption, but the sale went ahead anyway.

In Texas, your house can not be sold to pay off a court judgment of a debt if it has a homestead exemption. Richard Sisney's home carries that exemption, but the house ended up on the auction block anyway.The homeowner admits he owed $3,000, a debt racked up by his business. But he never thought his home would be sold at auction to pay that debt.

"There was a letter in the mailbox, handwritten, and another on the back gate, handwritten," Sisney said. "It said get out of your house in three days."

Sisney tells us the person who bought the home at auction paid just $780.

"I knew I had a judgment against me, but never knew it was going to go to this extent," he said.

The reason the home ended up at auction dates back to last year when Sisney pulled his business out of a property where he still owed $3,000 rent.

"I left out of the lease owing the money that I owed," Sisney explained.

A court judgment against Sisney led constables from Precinct 4 to file a writ of execution to cover the $3,000 Sisney owed. Constables tell us they then researched the property and found no homestead exemption, and then sold the house to satisfy the judgment, but there was a problem.

Sisney said, "My wife filed for it as soon as we could file for the homestead exemption."

Precinct 4 officials say after Precinct 4 researched the property and before the auction, a period of a few weeks, the Sisneys were granted the homestead exemption. Sisney's attorney, Lauren Allen, says that means the sale at auction never should have taken place.

She said, "The county attorney has told us he thinks it's going to take about a week for them to kind of get everything undone and to get the buyer his money back."

While it appears the home is safe, the county attorney tells us a final resolution is still in the works.

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