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Serial burglar behind bars
A prolific serial burglar who spent two years hitting up homebuilders in the Houston area is finally behind bars.
HOUSTON - Ten years ago, home builders nationwide lost $4 billion a day to construction thieves. Now it's $10 billion.
Here in the greater Houston area, it's an epidemic.
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"They've created kind of a subculture sub economy where they buy and sell stolen construction materials," said Mark Stephens.
Stephens is a retired Houston Police Detective. Now he's a private investigator specializing in construction theft for new home builders.
About two years ago, he started investigating Venezuelan national Lott Isiah Rivera.
"He was targeting tankless water heaters, because he drives a Honda," Stephens said. "He doesn't have a truck to put them in, so he could fit five or six tankless water heaters in his car."
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Construction sites are usually busy, and it can be hard to determine who belongs and who doesn't belong.
"He would blend in," said Stephens. "You would see him in the garage looking around, and then he would run it out to his car real quick and load up."
The private investigator believes Rivera stole hundreds of tankless water heaters in several counties.
Stephens says he had a feeling Rivera would show up in Precinct 5, so he alerted two sergeants with the constables' office.
"Sure enough he hit one night. They walked up, and he's got two or three water heaters in the trunk of his car," Stephens said. "I think he was working on another one when they walked up on him."
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Rivera is charged with felony theft.
He's apparently in the country illegally, and ICE has a hold on him.