HPD: 'Shadow' Seen In Hotel Before Implosion
POSTED: Thursday, November 15, 2007
UPDATED: 6:27 pm CST November 15,
2007
HOUSTON -- Police searched the site of a hotel implosion after home video indicated someone may have been inside when it went down, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Slideshow: Crowne Plaza Hotel Implosion
Houston police investigators began searching the site of the former Crowne Plaza Hotel on Main Street near Holcombe Boulevard in the Texas Medical Center on Wednesday.The home video showed a shadow inside the building moments before it was destroyed on Sunday.Detectives have narrowed down their search to one specific area after forensic dogs reacted to a scent.Seven forensics dogs sniffed through the area in 20-minute increments."We're going to put four on the debris that they're bringing down, and then three of the dogs will be put back up on the rubble pile," said Jana Bickel, who works with the dogs. "These dogs are considered forensic dogs, so they could be hitting on blood. If one of the construction people cut their hand or something, they could be hitting on that."Demolition crews carefully peeled away the top layers of concrete and rebar, under the watchful eye of the Houston Police Department.Searchers ended on Thursday without any answers.Cherry Demolition handled the implosion of the 14-story building and is cooperating fully with the police investigation."We are working diligently with the officers of the Police Department," owner Leonard Cherry said. "We certainly hope that this is not true, but are cooperating any way we can."It took about 1,200 pounds of explosives to take the building down, Cherry said.Demolition officials said there were several security guards at the site to keep people out before the building was imploded.Company officials said that all of their workers were accounted for and the building was searched at least twice before the blast.Officials said that because of the method used to demolish the building, there is very little or no chance that if anyone was inside, he or she could have survived the collapse.Texas Children's Hospital plans to build an expanded maternity ward on the site.
Copyright 2008 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Slideshow: Crowne Plaza Hotel Implosion
Houston police investigators began searching the site of the former Crowne Plaza Hotel on Main Street near Holcombe Boulevard in the Texas Medical Center on Wednesday.The home video showed a shadow inside the building moments before it was destroyed on Sunday.Detectives have narrowed down their search to one specific area after forensic dogs reacted to a scent.Seven forensics dogs sniffed through the area in 20-minute increments."We're going to put four on the debris that they're bringing down, and then three of the dogs will be put back up on the rubble pile," said Jana Bickel, who works with the dogs. "These dogs are considered forensic dogs, so they could be hitting on blood. If one of the construction people cut their hand or something, they could be hitting on that."Demolition crews carefully peeled away the top layers of concrete and rebar, under the watchful eye of the Houston Police Department.Searchers ended on Thursday without any answers.Cherry Demolition handled the implosion of the 14-story building and is cooperating fully with the police investigation."We are working diligently with the officers of the Police Department," owner Leonard Cherry said. "We certainly hope that this is not true, but are cooperating any way we can."It took about 1,200 pounds of explosives to take the building down, Cherry said.Demolition officials said there were several security guards at the site to keep people out before the building was imploded.Company officials said that all of their workers were accounted for and the building was searched at least twice before the blast.Officials said that because of the method used to demolish the building, there is very little or no chance that if anyone was inside, he or she could have survived the collapse.Texas Children's Hospital plans to build an expanded maternity ward on the site.
Copyright 2008 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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