Here are things to know for Tuesday, March 15:
1. Driver charged with intoxication manslaughter after crashing vehicle into pole, killing passenger, HPD says
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A woman has been charged after Houston police said she crashed her car into a concrete pole while intoxicated, leaving her passenger dead.
The crash happened in the 2800 block of Fountain View Drive near Westheimer Road in west Houston.
Erica Marie Phillips, 40, was driving northbound in her white Toyota Rav4 with another woman on Fountain View Drive when at some point she swerved and struck a pillar, police said.
Both Phillips and the passenger were extricated from the Toyota and transported to a local hospital.
The passenger later died and Phillips was listed in critical condition but is expected to survive, according to police.
2. Ross employee shot after helping his colleague who was being harassed by group of teenagers
Three days ago, Roderick Joseph, an employee for Ross Loss Prevention, said he was shot in the arm after he assisted a frightened elderly woman.
“My fingers are still numb. My arm is still swollen. I got two pieces in me,” Joseph said.
The Ross employee said he was helping his elderly colleague because she was being harassed by a group of teenagers at the store, which is located on Highway 6 in northwest Harris County.
“I said. ‘Why are you picking on an elderly lady? Leave her alone and stop taking stuff from her,’” Joseph said. “They asked for ski masks so they were already planning on doing something.”
Joseph said after he seemed to diffuse the situation, he walked back to the front of the store and watched the three guys and one female on the surveillance camera make their way towards the exit. He said he decided to confront the group after he saw them making signs at one another.
3. 4 HPD officers fired in deadly shooting of Nicolas Chavez reinstated, will receive full pay back, HPOU says
A sergeant and three other officers who were fired from the Houston Police Department for their roles in the 2020 deadly shooting of Nicolas Chavez are to be reinstated, according to the Houston Police Officers’ Union.
On Monday, HPOU released a statement saying the officers and sergeant were rightfully reinstated and were made whole with full payback and seniority. The union further stated that evidence from its attorneys determined that Mayor Sylvester Turner and others were misled by former Chief Acevedo to believe the officers violated the department’s policies.
Officers Luis Alvarado, Omar Tapia, Patrick Rubio and Sgt. Benjamin LeBlanc will now go back to work.
On April 21, 2020, Nicolas Chavez, 27, was killed by police in northeast Houston during a confrontation that was captured on bodycam video. Part of it was also captured on a bystander’s cellphone.
4. More than 200 pounds of meth worth nearly $4M seized during traffic stop on I-10 in Fayette County, deputies say
More than 200 pounds of meth, with a street value of more than $3.8 million, was seized during a traffic stop on I-10 in Fayette County, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The discovery was made on March 11 at 9:30 a.m. when a sergeant with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Canine Unit stopped a silver Ford F-150 for a traffic violation.
Deputies said after speaking with the driver of the Ford, K9 Kolt was deployed to conduct an exterior sweep on the vehicle.
5. Judge says he wants mother of 4 abandoned children discovered in Spring to focus on her mental health
The mother of four abandoned children discovered in Spring made an emotional appearance in court Monday.
Angela Huff, 27, was charged Friday with four counts of child abandonment. Huff, who is currently out of jail on bond, went before a judge Monday afternoon in Harris County’s 185th District Criminal Court to hear conditions of her bond and receive her statutory warning.
During her appearance, Huff broke down as she told the judge she didn’t have family or friends to rely on to help with her children. The judge told Huff to focus on her mental health.