Official site of Tribune News serving Tomball, Magnolia and Waller

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A young boy was found dead by Magnolia firefighters, after a large house fire Dec. 8.

Fire officials identified the boy as Dakota Myers, 3, of Magnolia. He was found in a back bedroom of a travel trailer that had been converted into a permanent residence.

The fire started at the home on Todd Road, just after 1 a.m. Firefighters responded within minutes and tried to rescue the boy, but heavy fire conditions forced them out of the residence. Family members had also tried to rescue the boy, but were unable due to heavy smoke and fire.

The travel trailer had a wooden addition built onto it.

A 10-year-old boy and an adult were treated at the scene by Montgomery County Hospital District emergency workers for smoke inhalation.

“The first arriving Magnolia Fire Department units found that the fire had fully engulfed the travel trailer and addition built on to it,” a Montgomery County Fire Marshal press release stated. “The fire was so intense that no search was possible until it was brought under control.”

The 10-year-old boy was sleeping when the fire broke out. He told fire investigators that he woke up to find the fire in an area where Dakota Myers has been sleeping.

The boy’s mother stated that she was outside of her next door neighbor’s home with several other people when they saw the fire. Family members and neighbors ran to the home, but were unable to get inside. The 10-year-old boy was able to escape the home.

Fire officials said the investigations into the cause of the fire and Myers cause of death are still ongoing. They are awaiting additional test results.

They have yet to find evidence that the home was equipped with working smoke detectors.

“Each year approximately 3,000 lives are lost to fire in the United States with 85 percent of the deaths occurring in home fire,” fire officials stated. “The common theme in nearly all fatal fires is that they break out while the residents are asleep and there are no working smoke detectors.”

Although Montgomery County averages five to six fire deaths a year, this is the first fire fatality of 2012.

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Montgomery County sheriff’s deputies said a convenience store in the Pinehurst area was burglarized, during the early morning of Dec. 5.

Ken’s Bread and Butter store in the 34700 block of SH249, was burglarized and the suspects tried to get into the automatic teller machine.

Two males pried open the front door of the business and both were wearing dark colored clothing and had their faces covered, according to deputies.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is seeking assistance from the public to solve this crime.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Shannon Spencer of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 281-577-8942 or 936- 760-5800. 

Crime Stoppers will pay up to a $1000 cash reward for information leading to an arrest or indictment of a felony crime.  Call 800-392-STOP (7867).  Anonymous tips can also be made through the Montgomery County Crime Stoppers WEB PAGE at www.montgomerycountycrimstoppers.org.

A woman is now sitting in the Montgomery County Jail, after being accused of putting a gun in the backpack of her boyfriend's son to try and salvage a relationship with the boy's father.

Heather Darlene Hodges, 26, of Anderson, was charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon on restricted premises and unlawful transfer of a handgun to a minor.

Deputies with the Montgomery County Pct. 5 Constable's Office, who provide security for the Magnolia school district, said the school received an anonymous call Nov. 5, that a student had a pistol in his backpack.

Upon arrival, deputies found that school administrators had already removed the student from class and found an unloaded 9mm handgun in the boy's backpack.

After taking the student into custody, deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office proceeded to question the boy for several hours. Upon realizing that he was telling the truth and had no prior knowledge of the weapon, deputies began to investigate further. The boy told deputies that Hodges might have put the weapon in the backpack because she didn't like him.

Pct. 5 deputies were able to trace the anonymous phone call to a pay phone located at a nearby Exxon convenience store.

"Security video from the store led investigators to identify the anonymous caller as (Hodges)," a Pct. 5 press release stated.

The video allegedly shows Hodges car pull into the parking lot, where she then exited the vehicle and proceeded to walk to the pay phone.

During questioning detectives say that Hodges initially denied even being at the convenience store. However, once she realized she was on video, she admitted to deputies that she had placed the gun in the boy's backpack to get him in trouble with his father.

Sources told the Tribune that the boy's father was planning to move away from Magnolia and told Hodges that she would not be coming with them.

Hodges initially agreed to turn herself in to investigators, however she instead reported to her probation officer, where deputies took her into custody.
She is on probation for a 2011 theft conviction in Conroe.

Hodges is still in the Montgomery County Jail on a total of $20,000 bond. The boy was cleared of all wrongdoing by police.

Several business people in the community are once again banding together to put on the Families Feeding Families Thanksgiving event this year.

The event will be held at ChristBridge Fellowship Church, 29510 Tomball Pkwy., Nov. 21, from noon until 4 p.m.

"It's for anyone who is in the need for something," Vicki Clark of Community Bank of Texas said. "If you can't afford a Thanksgiving meal, if you are a veteran, police officer, firefighter or just lonely and need a hug. Anyone that needs fellowship can come."

She said that the group is excited and expects this year to be even bigger than the first event.

"We are looking to do this every year," she said. "We want this to grow into a huge event that we can help more and more people every year."

Clark said the event is for people in Cypress, Waller, Tomball and Magnolia areas.

"We want to eventually grow this to be as big for this area as the Houston event is for there," she said.

Legacy Beauty Academy will be there again this year to give free haircuts to those that attend. The Patch restaurant will cater the meal, while Panera Bread will donate all the rolls.

"The Patch is shutting down their restaurant for the day," Clark said. "This is their gift to the community."

Clark said they are looking to serve up to 1,000 people. Gift bags will be available for the first 250 people to attend.

There will also be kid's games provided by Salem Lutheran Church and a live DJ for entertainment. Homebound residents can also have their meals delivered to them by a volunteer.

For more information or to volunteer call Clark at 281-825-8331 or visit www.familiesfeedingfamilies.com.

Tomball Police arrested a man suspected of robbing the local Auto Zone, thanks to information provided by a Tomball jail inmate.

Police arrested Justin Ross Hightower, 30, of Tomball, Nov. 9, following a Nov. 8 robbery at Auto Zone, where a suspect displayed a handgun and ordered the cashier to give him money from the register.

"The cashier complied and the suspect took the money and fled the location," a Tomball press release stated. "Officers, investigators and criminalists arrived at the scene and began their investigation."

Police sources stated that they received a break in the case the next day. A patrol officer arrested a suspect that appeared to be coming down from a drug high. The suspect told investigators that they knew who robbed the Auto Zone and gave detectives Hightower's name.

Police arrested Hightower that evening and found evidence, including a pellet gun that was used in the robbery. Hightower is also a suspect in other robberies and break in's in both Harris and Montgomery counties.

Hightower was charged with aggravated robbery. His bond was set at $30,000.