PEARLAND — Two Houston residents were arrested and charged with burglary of a motor vehicle in connection with an alleged jugging scheme investigated by Pearland police, according to the department.
Officers responded at approximately 1:24 p.m. Oct. 14 to a business in the 2500 block of Pearland Parkway after a reported vehicle burglary.
The victim told officers she had visited a bank in Houston before traveling to the Pearland business. While inside the business, she was notified that her vehicle had been burglarized.
The victim reported seeing a gray Nissan Pathfinder parked next to her vehicle at the Houston bank, with a woman entering and exiting the bank. A witness at the Pearland business reported seeing a man wearing a gray sweatsuit and face covering exit a gray SUV and break into the victim’s vehicle.
A Pearland police crime analyst used the department’s Flock license plate reader system to identify the suspect vehicle as a gray Nissan Pathfinder displaying a California temporary tag. The vehicle was detected by a Flock camera near the Baybrook Mall area.
Pearland Police Special Investigations Unit detectives responded to the area and located the Nissan traveling northbound on Interstate 45. Detectives followed it to a bank near Edgebrook Drive in Houston. The department’s Crime Reduction Unit, Harris County Precinct 2 Constables and the Houston Police Department assisted with the investigation.
During surveillance, investigators observed the Nissan follow a Dodge Ram from the bank near Edgebrook Drive to another bank parking lot near Harrisburg Boulevard in Houston.
Detectives then saw the Nissan’s occupants remove its license plates. Shortly afterward, the Nissan parked perpendicular to the Dodge Ram. Police said a man exited the Nissan’s rear passenger seat, smashed a window of the Dodge Ram and began searching through the vehicle while its driver was inside the bank.
Officers and deputies from the Pearland Crime Reduction Unit, Houston Police Department and Harris County Precinct 2 conducted a vehicle takedown and took the male suspect and female driver into custody.
The suspects were identified as Charles Randle and Crystal Lewis, both of Houston. They were charged with committing burglary of a motor vehicle as part of a jugging scheme, a third-degree felony. Charges were filed in both Brazoria County and Harris County, according to police.
The Pearland Police Department reminded residents to remain aware of their surroundings when conducting banking transactions. Police said people involved in jugging schemes may follow victims from financial institutions to other locations before targeting their vehicles.
Residents are encouraged to keep valuables out of sight, remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to law enforcement.
