Roman Forest councilman helps save his neighbor

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – The Roman Forest Police Department is crediting a local council member for possibly saving his neighbor's life.

Thursday night Councilman Tony Garza's neighbor called 911 after suffering from a medical issue. At some point after the call, police say the neighbor collapsed on his kitchen floor, drifting in and out of consciousness.

When emergency crews arrived at the neighbor's home, they couldn't get inside.

"They were trying to figure out how to get inside. (The neighbor) was unable to get the door," said Chief Stephen Carlisle, of the Roman Forest Police Department.

Suddenly the neighbor's rottweiler busted through a side doggy window. The dog sensed something was wrong, and police say she was behaving in an agitated manner. At first officers didn't know if she was dangerous, and they were unable to get to a back window to try to pry it open.

That is when Councilman Tony Garza came to the rescue. Garza has been living next to his neighbor for several years and knows the Rottweiler pretty well. He was able to get the dog under control, then pry the screen off a back window and let emergency crews inside.

Carlisle says Garza's quick actions saved emergency crews crucial minutes.

"He definitely saved time for the officers to make entry and potentially made a difference in life or death," said Carlisle.

Garza says he is just happy he could help out his longtime neighbor. "I'm just trying to be a good neighbor and help him out whenever I can," Garza said. "I'm glad I was here because we don't want him to go anywhere."

Garza's neighbor is still in a hospital, trying to recover. Roman Forest police plan to honor the councilman at an upcoming banquet.