News from July 3 to 9: Rudy Farias case, San Jacinto Co. sheriff accused of corruption, HISD cutting jobs
HOUSTON - It's been a busy week in the news for the Houston area.
During the week of July 3 to 9, a man who was reported missing in 2015 was found eight years later, causing conversations on where he's been during the time, Houston ISD announced major job cuts for their central office staff, and a San Jacinto County sheriff was accused of corruption ahead of the mass shooting in Texas where five were killed.
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Here's a compilation of a few of the news stories from this week.
Rudy Farias was home the 8 years he was 'missing', used fake names with police during that time
The week of Rudy Farias being found has been nothing short of busy. Farias was 18 when he was reported missing by his mother in March 2015. After 8 years, he was found in the Houston area outside a church.
Since he’s been found so many new details and reports have come out on what happened to Farias during the time he was missing. Houston police are still investigating the disappearance, but they did confirm Farias actually returned home the day after he was reported missing.
"She alleged her nephew was the person friends and family we're seeing coming and going," said HPD Lieutenant Zamora with HPD Homicide Division during the department's press conference. "However, we disputed that. Currently, the DA has declined any charges at this time for making fictitious reports and failure to ID."
Community activist Quanell X made serious allegations involving what he claimed really happened with Farias during the time he was reported to be missing and at home with his mother. But HPD contradicted those statements. He says we won’t back down from what he previously stated in a sit-down with FOX 26.
Click here to read more on the story.
San Jacinto Co. sheriff accused of corruption ahead of mass shooting: AP Investigation
Back in May, Sheriff Greg Capers was the classic picture of a Texas lawman as he announced the capture of a suspected mass killer who evaded officers for four days.
Francisco Oropeza allegedly killed five neighbors when they complained that his late-night shooting was keeping their baby awake at the end of April. The sheriff said his deputies arrived in 11 minutes, but Oropeza was gone. With the search over, Capers had a message for the victims’ families.
"They can rest easy now," Capers told a row of television cameras in May. The burly sheriff later personally hauled the "coward" across a town square into court.
But a recent Associated Press investigation led the sheriff’s office to disclose that deputies took nearly four times as long as Capers initially said to arrive at the mass shooting.
Former deputies said Capers’ office has long neglected basic police work while pursuing asset seizures that boost its $3.5 million budget but don’t always hold up in court.
Click here to read the full report from Associated Press.
Family's hope shattered as remains of missing woman Miranda Rodriguez identified
After years, a woman who went missing during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 remains have been identified.
Miranda Rodriquez lost contact with her family in August 2017.
"She had contact with her dad," Miranda's relative Brandi Rodriquez. "They were going to have a meeting place, she didn't respond after that."
Fast-forward to July 2022, a man hired to clean a barbeque pit in the backyard of a home at 5207 Peach Creek Drive finds a human skeleton in the pit.
On July 3, those remains were identified as Miranda Rodriquez.
Click here to read more on the story.
Houston ISD’s state-appointed superintendent will cut over 500 jobs
New Superintendent Mike Miles announced more than 500 positions will be cut from Houston Independent School District’s central office staff, the first round of staff downsizing that will further clear the way his plan to overhaul campuses across the district.
Miles said about 500 to 600 positions will be cut from academics-related departments, along with 40 from human resources. More departments will be affected in the coming weeks, he said.
Miles estimated the cuts from academic departments total 30% of current positions, about 3% of which were already vacant.
Click here for the full story.
League City 1983 Cold Case Murder: Jesse Kersh sentenced to 3 life sentences
Former mechanic, Jesse "Dean" Kersh will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being found guilty of murdering his boss and two others in a horrific triple homicide in League City 40 years ago.
Kersh received a total of three life sentences on Thursday after he was found guilty of murdering his boss Beth Wilburn, her boyfriend, Tommy McGraw, and an electrician who was installing lighting there at Corvette Concept back in 1983.
Click here to read more on the story.
Cyclospora cases increase in Harris County
Multiple Houston area health departments have received reports of an increased number of Cyclospora infections.
Cyclospora is a non-life-threatening gastrointestinal illness caused by an intestinal parasite. People can become infected by consuming contaminated food or water.
In Texas, increased cases of Cyclosporiasis tend to occur seasonally between the months of April and August according to officials.
Cases have been associated with the consumption of fresh produce, including fresh cilantro, pre-packaged salad mix, raspberries, basil, snow peas, and mesclun lettuce.
Click here to read more about the story.
Houston 18-year-old charged for deadly shooting of Uber driver, stole his car
After more than a month, the suspect who shot and killed an Uber driver in Houston has been charged.
Charles Anthony Hudson, 18, has been charged with Capital Murder in Harris County for the death of 43-year-old Hector Torres back in May.
According to Houston police, Torres was found on May 27 after a robbery with multiple gunshot wounds.
Before he became unresponsive, authorities say Torres told police he was providing an Uber ride when he was shot and his car was stolen.
Torres was taken to a hospital where he later died on May 29.
Click here to read more on the story.
Texas police find 6 people injured after shooting at El Paso party, updated news report says
A shooting at a party in Texas wounded six people on Friday night, according to a news report.
Police in El Paso said the shooting happened on Swan Drive near the El Paso Country Club in the city’s Upper Valley area around 9:45 p.m., KVIA-TV reported.