Friendswood Police Activity Report

April 10-16, 2023

 

 

Theft

 

 

 

Apr. 11 (1:50 p.m.) Merrill Wortham, 30, of Hitchcock, was charged with Theft of a Firearm and had an outstanding warrant in Howard County.  A passenger, Colton Dewayne Finnigan, 30, of Alvin, was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance in Penalty Group 1 and Theft of a Firearm. Wortham was stopped for a license plate violation in the 2400 block of W. Parkwood Avenue. During the contact, the officer observed a rifle laying across the center console.  The officer had the driver exit the vehicle and instructed the passenger to put his hands on the dash. Wortham and Finnigan were checked for weapons on her person; several knives were found.  While removing a knife from Finnigan’s boot, the officer felt a bulge in Finnigan’s sock; it was methamphetamine. Finnigan also had methamphetamine in his jacket. A search of the vehicle yielded three guns; one was reported stolen in Houston in November 2022.

 

 

 

Apr. 16 (8:34 p.m.) Officers responded to a disturbance at Kroger located at 3135 FM 528. A man was inside the store throwing items at a store manager. When the officers arrived, the suspect was gone. The disturbance began when the store manager approached the suspect and asked him to remove stolen items from his pants.  While looking for the suspect, the officers received information that he was at the Time Out Sports Bar.  He was in the parking lot, identified, and given a criminal trespass warning.

 

 

 

Fraud

 

 

 

Apr. 10 (11:14 a.m.) A Friendswood man reported that his identity was stolen and used to open a Synchrony credit card account.  Two generators were purchased using the fraudulently obtained credit card account at a Harbor Freight in Houston.

 

 

 

Apr. 10 (3:12 p.m.) A 28-year-old Friendswood man met a woman in a chatroom on the KIK app.   After an intimate online conversation, the woman requested a nude photo.  The victim obliged and sent the nude photo to the unknown woman.  Now, the individual is threatening to send the nude to his friends, family, and coworkers if he does not pay $500 using Cash app. When the app blocked the transaction, due to fraud detection, the man was instructed to go to Walmart, purchase an Apple gift card, activate the card, and send pictures of the card number and receipt.  He made the purchase, as instructed, now they want more money. It was the second request for money that prompted the Friendswood man to call the police.

 

 

 

Apr. 11 (8:11 a.m.) A Friendswood woman reported credit card abuse.  She received her monthly statement from Victoria’s Secrets and discovered there were two fraudulent charges. Both charges were made at a store in Florida.  Then, the victim discovered that someone fraudulently opened a Sephora account using her personal identifying information and filled out a Galveston County Voter Registration card changing her address.

 

 

 

Apr. 12 (10:37 a.m.) A Friendswood man’s personal identifying information was used to open a bank account and obtain a debit card with East West Bank.

 

 

 

Apr. 12 (10:37 a.m.) A Friendswood woman’s AOL account was recently hacked.  The suspect began sending emails to her accountant claiming to be a contractor working for the victim and requested payment.  The accountant sent the suspect two payments, and the suspect was able to make a withdrawal from the victim’s account.

 

 

 

Apr. 13 (3:42 p.m.) A Friendswood woman reported that she received a phone call from a person who said they were a representative of the United States Government and told her that she owned money.  She was instructed to withdraw funds from her bank and deposit them into Bitcoin machines at the Icebox gas station and at HEB.  She did as she was instructed.  When she received a second request for money, she became suspicious and contacted the police.

 

 

 

Apr. 16 (4:24 p.m.) A Friendswood man reported that he received several pieces of mail regarding bank accounts that were opened using his personal identifying information.

 

 

 

Apr. 16 (5:22 p.m.) A Friendswood man began receiving unsolicited text messages and calls from a man demanding money in exchange for his family’s safety.  The scammer suggested that the victim had received in-home massage services and was requesting photographs from the massage employee.  The victim denied any contact with an in-home massage employee.

 

 

 

Criminal Mischief

 

 

 

Apr. 15 (6:09 p.m.) Graffiti was found on the ceiling, wall, and door of the exterior restroom at the Sonic Drive-In, 806 S. Friendswood Drive.  Surveillance videos are being reviewed to determine who the suspect may be.

 

 

 

Apr. 16 (5:51 p.m.) Vandalism was reported to a storage shed located behind Perry & Sons Market & Grille, 614 S. Friendswood Drive. A hole was cut in the side the of shed and graffiti was left next to the hole. Nothing was missing from inside the shed.

 

 

 

Assault

 

 

 

Apr. 13 (9:50 p.m.) A Friendswood man was assaulted at his home in the 200 block of Skyview Terrace when his son’s ex-girlfriend’s father showed up unannounced. The suspect allegedly walked into the victim’s backyard and approached the back door. When the victim told the suspect to leave, the suspect slammed the door, hitting the victim in the face and causing him to fall backward and hit his head. The patio door was damaged during the assault.  A warrant will be filed charging the suspect with Assault Causing Bodily Injury and a summons issued charging the suspect with Criminal Mischief.

 

 

 

Narcotics

 

 

 

Apr. 14 (12:04 p.m.) Two 16-year-old Friendswood High School students were in possession of a vaping device containing THC.  Each will receive a summons to the Friendswood Municipal Court where they will answer the charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

 

 

 

Apr. 15 (8:33 a.m.) Mauricio Juarez Patino, 33, of Houston, was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance in Penalty Group 1. Juarez Patino was stopped in the 1200 block of W. Parkwood Avenue for driving a vehicle with a temporary tag that did not belong to that vehicle. A consent search of the vehicle yielded a pipe and methamphetamine.

 

 

 

Apr. 16 (5:55 p.m.) Alan Louis Castillo, 40, of Rosharon, was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance in Penalty Group 3. Castillo was driving without a license plate; he was stopped near the intersection of W. Parkwood and Falcon Ridge Blvd. Castillo was taken into custody for operating a vehicle without a license plate. At the jail, Castillo was in possession of Alprazolam and a syringe. 

 

 

 

Apr. 17 (3:43 a.m.) Jamie Herrera, 24, of Houston, was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance in Penalty Group 1. Herrera was passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle stopped in the roadway at the intersection of S. Friendswood Drive and Clearview Avenue. When officers arrived, they contacted Herrera, who had the strong smell of marijuana coming from the interior of his vehicle. The officer searched Herrera’s vehicle and found methamphetamine. 

 

 

 

Driving While Intoxicated

 

 

 

Apr. 15 (12:33 a.m.) Brenda Lizzete Soto, 36, was charged with Driving While Intoxicated in the 700 block of W. Parkwood Avenue. Soto was stopped for speeding. She exhibited signs of intoxication and failed a field sobriety test.

 

 

 

Apr. 15 (9:10 p.m.) Tracey Renee Driggs, 51, of Friendswood, was charged with Driving While Intoxicated- 3rd or more in the 200 block of E. Edgewood Drive. Driggs was stopped for failing to signal a turn. Her driver’s license was suspended, she exhibited signs of intoxication, and failed a field sobriety test.

 

 

 

Threats

 

 

 

Apr. 13 (4:51 p.m.) A 15-year-old Friendswood High School student was charged with Terroristic Threat – Reaction Emergency Agency. Police received a report about a threat incident after school on April 13th.  The next day, interviews about the incident were conducted and resulted in charges being accepted by the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office.  The student was brought to the police department for booking and was soon released back to their guardian’s custody. 

 

 

 

Warrants

 

 

 

Apr. 11 (12:37 a.m.) Shermon Ezel Baugh, II, 26, of Austin, was charged with Failure to Identify-Fugitive. Baugh was found hanging around a closed business in the 1100 block of S. Friendswood Drive. Next to where the man was standing, the officer observed a broken window.  Baugh provided a false name at first.  When the officer was able to positively identify him, he found that Baugh had outstanding warrants.

 

 

             

Gavin Boyd

Missing Person

 

Apr. 10 (8:08 p.m.) Friendswood Police are looking for 14-year-old Gavin Boyd.  He is a white male, 5’6” tall and weighs 120 pounds. He has shaggy brown-dirty blonde hair down to his chin and was last seen wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans. Gavin did not go to school on April 10th and was last seen in the Heritage Park area getting into a black vehicle at approximately 2:00 p.m. Gavin may be in the Pasadena or Galveston area. If you have any information about Gavin’s whereabout, contact Detective Blair, 281-996-3300.