WASHINGTON CO. SHERIFF’S OFFICE INVESTIGATING ‘RASH’ OF CAR BURGLARIES

  

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is looking into a string of vehicle burglaries committed in previous weeks.

During commissioners court today (Tuesday), Captain Eddie Ocanas briefly discussed some of the data from the sheriff’s office report for the month of May, which showed an increase in overall offenses from the month prior and in comparison to the rest of 2024.  Part of that was attributed to what Ocanas called a “rash” of car burglaries that have been under investigation for some time. 

Ocanas did not provide specific dates or locations where the burglaries occurred, but he said the sheriff’s office does have leads on potential suspects. 

Ocanas said the sheriff’s office has been spending more time on back roads in order to attempt to find those involved in the burglary incidents.

According to the May report, the sheriff’s office responded to or investigated 92 total offenses in May, up from 79 in April. 

Of the 92, 30 were considered “Group A” offenses, comprised of 21 assault cases, two burglary cases, four theft/larceny cases, two motor vehicle theft cases, and one sex offense.  April had 26 “Group A” offenses, made up of 20 assaults, three sex offenses, and one each of burglary, theft/larceny and theft of a motor vehicle.

The remaining 62 offenses for the month of May are categorized as “Group B”, which include cases like fraud, criminal mischief, drug offenses, driving while intoxicated, public intoxication and trespassing.  The sheriff’s office recorded 53 “Group B” offenses in April.

Ocanas then provided data on jail population numbers.  In May, 132 inmates were booked into the jail, up from 118 in April.  The jail’s average daily population increased slightly from 111 in April to 114 in May.

Ocanas also informed commissioners that the sheriff’s office is still working to fill vacancies for patrol, transport and the jail.

In other business, commissioners accepted a bid from Triple T Refrigeration out of Brenham for $192,484 to replace the Washington County Expo Sales Facility HVAC system.

Facilities Manager Bobby Branham said four bids were received.  The lowest bid, according to Branham, had quotes for equipment that the company felt was compatible to what the county was asking for, but he said the county has had “very bad luck” with in the past.  The second-lowest bid came from a Houston-based company, which he said could prove problematic in having to pay travel costs associated with any labor.

Branham said the intent is to have the work involved with removing the old HVAC system and putting in the new one completed in time for the county fair.

Commissioners also approved new health insurance contribution amounts for renewal on October 1^st.  Human Resources Director Angela Mlcak said the county’s insurance rates went up 4 percent, so the county will split that increase with employees.  Mlcak said the contribution of employees has not changed for the past 12 years.

Also today, the court:

• Approved the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers buoy plan at Lake Somerville.  The buoy plan indicates no wake zones, restricted areas and any possible danger.
• Appointed the Tax Assessor-Collector Chief Appraiser to calculate the no-new-revenue and voter-approval tax rates.
• Corrected the date to seek requests for qualifications (RFQs) for delinquent tax collections for Washington County property taxes.  RFQs will be due to the Washington County Clerk by Friday, July 12^th at 10 a.m., and negotiations will begin between the county and the chosen RFQ provider after the July 16^th commissioners court meeting.
• Heard a series of monthly reports from the county and district clerks, justices of the peace, auditor, tax assessor-collector, treasurer, constables, elections and veterans service officer.