KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
January 12, 2021
By Natalie Cook Clark
Harris County Precinct 5 deputies helped the SWAT unit during a domestic assault standoff yesterday. Authorities used one of the department's drones to peacefully resolve the situation at an apartment complex at the 15300 block of Park Row. The wanted felon was out on a low bond.
Thanks to help from Harris County Precinct 5 deputies and their unmanned drone, a 6-year-old girl and her mother were rescued from a dangerous situation.
Deputies from Constable Ted Heap's Office responded to a call yesterday when a grandmother reached out. She was concerned for the safety of her daughter and granddaughter. She reported a domestic assault in progress at an apartment complex at the 15300 block of Park Row. Neighbors confirmed the altercation and Harris County Police Department’s SWAT team was called to the scene.
Officers Prepared to Use Drones
Precinct 5 deputies used one of their department’s new drones to enter the apartment and identify where the suspect, victim, and child were.
"This is a great example of smarter and safer policing," said Constable Ted Heap.
Precinct 5 trained officers to fly and use the drones in 2019. The unmanned aerial vehicles provide deputies an extra perspective in searches and investigations such as this one.
At the scene, SWAT officers safely entered the apartment and rescued the victim and her daughter.
"The safe and effective use of this technology allowed deputies to arrest the suspect without putting others in harm's way and to make sure this little girl and her mother were removed from danger," says Constable Heap.
Suspect in Standoff a Parolee
The suspect, Matthew Guadalupe Keene, was arrested on charges of unlawful restraint.
He was out on parole last July for aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery but was wanted on two felony arrest warrants. He was charged in December with a DWI.
A local authority argues that Keene should have never been out.
“Inexplicably, a parole warrant was not issued and he was released on a $100 general order bond last month,” says Andy Kahan, Director of Victim Services and Advocacy at Crime Stoppers Houston. “
The 6-year-old girl was unharmed and was turned over to her biological father.
While just outside of Katy, the apartment complex is zoned to Katy ISD - Schmaltz Elementary and Mayde Creek Junior and High School.
“None of this would have happened if he would have remained in custody as a parole violator,” says Kahan.
Comments