Andrew Lyon Robinson arrested on child pornography charges

Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constables were waiting at the airport Saturday for Andrew Lyon Robinson, resident of the The Woodlands, TX.  A search warrant was executed on Robinson's home on Speckled Egg Place on October 5th, allegedly uncovering numerous videos of children engaged in sex acts. Robinson, a flight engineer for Saudi Aramco, has been charged with three counts of possession of child pornography. He was arrested at Bush Intercontinental Airport after arriving in Houston on a flight from Saudi Arabia.  Robinson's Facebook page features a profile picture depicting what appears to be a digital cartoon version of himself. He has only one Facebook friend. KHOU's story is here.

Alleged child pornography possessor: Andrew Robinson

Andy Robinson's Facebookprofile picture.

Passenger killed in motorcycle accident on I-45

Northbound lanes of Interstate 45 were shut down last night after a fatal motorcycle accident in Conroe, Texas. A woman was riding on the back of a motorcycle when the bike hit a median throwing the woman off. She was then struck and killed by another three-wheeled motorcycle/trike. The man who had been driving the motorcycle with the woman on the back then fled the scene of the accident, and police are trying to locate him. Channel 2's report. 

Tomas Ortiz, Jr. charged with intoxication manslaughter for 100 MPH wreck

I am sorry to say Harris County has lost yet another member of our community to a drunk driving accident.

According to various media reports, 21-year old Tomas Ortiz, Jr. has admitted to speeding in excess of 100 miles-per-hour immediately before rear-ending a pickup truck on Clinton Drive at Crown Street in Galena Park at about 10:00 p.m. last night.  Sergeant S. Wolverton with Harris County Sheriff's Department told Channel 2 reporters that Ortiz reached about 110 MPH when he began to lose control of his vehicle. Ortiz claims he eased off the accelerator at that time and may have slowed to around 75 to 80 MPH when he hit the pickup truck.

When Ortiz' white Dodge Challenger rear-ended the pickup, the pickup's driver Elias Hernandez lost control, hit a concrete barrier and went into a creek.  Five people were in the pickup truck at the time of the accident: Elias' 57-year old wife Laura was killed in the accident.  Two other adults and a 1-year old child were sent to LBJ Hospital in serious but stable condition.  A passenger in Ortiz' Dodge Challenger suffered minor injuries and was treated and released.

Tomas Ortiz, Jr. was arrested and has been charged with intoxication manslaughter. Channel 2's report is here. Channel 13's report is here. Channel 11's report is here. 

Alleged drunk driver Tomas Ortiz, Jr.'s wrecked Dodge Challenger

Ortiz reportedly told police he was traveling 100 mile per hour
shortly before last night's fatal crash

Five people, including a 1-year old, were riding in the pickup truck
Ortiz rear-ended and knocked into a creek

Baytown Exxon chemical plant fire - air quality being monitored

A fire broke out in Exxon's chemical plant in Baytown at around 5:30 p.m. this evening. The plant is located at 5500 Bayway. Baytown Police say that the fire is contained within the plant, and plant officials say they are monitoring the air quality both around the plant complex and in the surrounding community. Channel 2's story is here. KHOU's story indicates that plant officials have said the refinery fire poses no threat to the public and that there is no need to shelter in place. Channel 13's story is here. FOX News' story on the plant fire is here.

Trucking Accidents in San Antonio

We know that huge 18-wheeler semi-trucks on our San Antonio roads and highways can be bothersome and quite intimidating to most automobile drivers.  The nature of the truck-driving industry itself perpetuates this commonly felt anxiety that the general public has with semi-trucks.  We all are aware that these semi-trucks serve a useful purpose; however, we are also aware that to make sufficient income, drivers of these trucks are generally under rigid schedules and tight deadlines for their deliveries.  That is why a truck driver may be inclined to drive too fast or to drive when overtired.  The truck driver may even be taking illegal drugs to help him/her stay awake so that deadlines can be met.  We also know that when a collision occurs between one of these semi-trucks and an automobile, the results can be catastrophic with substantial personal injury and increased fatalities as well as significant damage to the automobile and its occupants.  Where do you begin when you are involved in a truck accident?  Proving that the truck driver was “negligent,” is one of the first steps in a trucking accident case.

All Texas truck drivers have a Duty to follow the rules of the road and state-mandated trucking laws and a Dutyto use “ordinary care” while driving a truck.   Ordinary care is that which a reasonable person of ordinary prudence would have done under the same or similar circumstances.  A Breachof that duty, negligence, can occur when a driver failed to follow the rules of the road, failed to follow the trucking laws, or did not use ordinary care.  The following are just some of the types of negligent behavior which can cause truck accidents:  failure to keep a proper lookout, inattentive driver, speeding, driving while on the phone or texting, driving too slowly, following too closely, failing to use a turn signal, failing to yield the right-of-way, failing to stop at a stop sign, driving through a red light, driving impaired, such as driving fatigued or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving on the wrong side of the road, failing to control the truck, and improper truck maintenance.  This list is definitely not exhaustive as there are many other ways that a truck driver can be found to not be using ordinary care. 

The next step, the Causation element, simply means that the negligent actions of the truck driver were the “proximate cause” of the other parties’ injuries.  You must prove that the accident occurred because, in a natural and continuous sequence, the negligent actions of the truck driver produced the accident and without the negligent actions of the truck driver the crash would not have occurred.  For example, the truck driver was driving in an impaired state such as sleep-deprived and fell asleep at the wheel.  A person of ordinary care would have foreseen that a truck driver who is driving fatigued had a great potential to fall asleep while driving and thus cause an accident.  In truck accident cases, however, proximate cause is rarely an issue.

Finally, you must prove the Damages.  The other vehicle’s driver and/or passengers may have suffered Personal Injury (PI) damages or there may be damages to the other vehicle or both because of the truck driver’s negligence.  Whichever the case, the parties involved need to seek medical attention as soon as possible and keep thorough records and receipts of all medical expenses. 

If you are involved in a collision with a semi-truck, you should immediately seek The Báez Law Firm, P.C. Our San Antonio Lawyers are here to help you with your trucking accident, auto accident and personal injury in general. Give us a call (210) 979-9777 so that one of our professionals can get you in with an attorney immediately. Our consultation is free.

Good Samaritan changing tire struck and killed on 610 South Loop

A good deed turned tragic late last night on Houston's South 610 Loop. A man stopped to help two other motorists involved in a minor accident was killed when a second crash happened. The two vehicles involved in the first accident came to a stop in travel lanes, HPD say, when a passing driver stopped and exited his vehicle to see if anyone needed assistance. An approaching car then rear-ended the Good Samaritan's sedan, and the man tried to run across the freeway to avoid being struck. A passing SUV was unable to avoid the man and struck him. He was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead. A total of five vehicles were involved in the accident which happened near Stella Link. Channel 11's story. Channel 13's story.

Photo credit: KHOU

Photo credit: KHOU

Photo credit: KHOU

HPD Sergeant Stacey Suro relieved of duty due to online pictures

42-year old Stacey Suro's modeling pictures are getting more attention than she had perhaps expected. Stacey, who is a Houston Police Department Sergeant, has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs investigation. Channel 2 News stopped by Stacey's home in Sugar Land to ask her about the pictures but, understandably, she wasn't appreciative of being bothered at home and declined an interview.

The HPD investigation into the photos apparently started last Wednesday when higher-ups in the department learned about the photos, nearly 100 of them, some of them nudes, that were posted in the modeling web site Model-Mayhem.com The link to the photos has been taken down however Channel 2 apparently viewed Stacey's bio on the site which indicated she was a model who charged photographers for her work.

Stacey works at West Side Patrol and is a 20-year veteran of HPD. In a Channel 2 article, a portion of the HPD's policy on conduct is quoted as follows: "Employees shall exhibit professional conduct at all times and shall not engage in any activity, including unlawful activity that would degrade or bring disrespect upon the employee or the department."

I've always found the comments posted beneath media reports to be an interesting insight into public opinion on a given issue. If you read the comments below the article about Sergeant Suro, they're almost all supportive and the general feeling is: "So what? Leave her alone." I have to say, I totally agree.

If Stacey were a "regular" 42-year old single mom and not a police officer, this would be a non-story...the media wouldn't care. Assuming the conduct policy quoted above is accurate, I also can't imagine that this could be considered "unlawful activity" or something that would cause HPD to be degraded or disrespected.  I also have to wonder if this would have made nearly such a splash if it was a male officer whose modeling pictures were discovered.

HPD needs to move on and allow Stacey to go back to work.

Photo credit: Channel
2's news article.

Photo credit: Channel
2's news article.

Update: Channel 2 posted a story today that Stacey Suro has been demoted from the rank of Sergeant to that of Officer at the recommendation of the Chief of Police. She has also been removed from patrol in West Houston and instead will work in the property room near downtown.