The Texan (Bellaire, Tex.), Vol. 34, No. 21, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 28, 1987 Page: 1 of 16
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On guard in Sharps to wn
By Edna Manning
Neighbors watching
out for neighbors in
Sharpstown--that’s what
it’s all about.
It was a ntce Saturday
afternoon. One of those
mild days when people
work in yards and putter
around garages.
That's just what Gary
Pikett, 37, and his wife
Carol Clary were doing
about 3 p.m. last Satur-
day.
They live on the
corner and just hap-
pened to notice a police
car turning the corner
and a young blond man
warning past the house.
So when the police car
stopped and the young
man started running,
Pikett and Clary ran too.
“Why is he run-
ning?” Clary wondered,
“you just get the
feeling,” she said.
So when the blond
man started over a
neighbor’s wooden
fence with a female HPD
police officer in pursuit,
Pikett knew what to do.
tie identified himseii
as an off-duty Southside
Place police officer, he's
a seargent there, and
leapt the fence the HPD
officer was attempting
to cross.
It’s easier to do,
Pikett explained, with-
out the 22 pounds of
gear a police officer
usually has to wear.
“1 chased him about
six or seven houses
down and then he
started running through
the back yards going the
other way,” Pikett said.
While Pikett was in
hot pursuit of the sus-
pect who was “running
like a dog from one
yard to the next," Clary
and the HPD officer
went to the next street.
They knocked on doors
and asked people they
saw to be alert.
“It’s a burglar,” said
Ms. HPD. “Be on the
>vShe Called iwi
back-up.
Residents started
coming out to help in the
chase.
“They were giving me
directions as to which
way he was going,” said
Pikett.
Pikett said it appeared
the young man was
trying to make his way
home; he apparently
lived in the neighbor-
hood too.
pect tried to get out to
the street.
When he was blocked
by an HPD car, he
backtracked and Pikett
saw his chance.
“I could see him
coming through a crack
in the fence,” he said.
"I was waiting for him.”
Pikett grabbed the
young man and held him
until HPD could cuff
him.
Jn ^ lof r>J
Pikett said, people don’t
want to get involved, but
in Sharpstown, neigh-
bors are willing to help.
“Everybody was out
looking and trying to
Continued on Page 12
m
© 1987 The Texan Newspaper
■
VOL. 34 NO. 21/JAN. 28,1987
BULK RATI.
US POSTAGE
PAID
Bdburc, T* 77401
Permit Nu 472
BfcLLAIHfc, I fcXAS / /4U1
(713) 660-7112
• Alton Oaks • Ayrshire • Bellaire • Bonham Acres
• Boulevard Oaks • Braeburn Glen • Braebum Terrace
• Braebum Valley • Braes Heights • Braes Manor
e Braesmont • Braeswood a Broadacres • College Court
e Knotlwood Village e Larchmont e Larkwood • linkwood
• Maplewood • Meyerland • Museum Area • Robindell
a Sharpstown • Southampton • Southern Oaks
a Southgate a Southside a Sunset Terrace • Wessex
a Westridge a West University a Westwood • Windermere
a Woodshire • Woodslde
A rare right-handed deep water species, Bnsycon candelabrum, found in the
Gulf of Mexico and now on display in the new Stroke Hall of Malacology in
Houston's Museum of Natural Science.
Mollusk museum opens
The Houston Museum
of Natural Science is
preparing to open The
George W. Strake Hall
of Malacology, a
museum of mollusks.
Located on the second
floor adjacent to the
Cullen Gallery of Earth
Science and overlooking
the main hall, the Strake
Hall of Malacology will
feature one of the
Museum’s best-kept
secrets-a major, world-
wide, never-before-dis-
played collection of
shells.
However, the curator,
Constance E. Boone is
quick to note that it is
ffollu fho cfAtni rtf
mollusks, the soft-
bodied invertebrate
(without backbone)
animals of the phylum
Molusca which, for the
most part, produce
coverings or homes
called shells.
The opening of the
new George W. Strake
Hall of Malacology will
be celebrated on Feb. 7
with the Museum Gild
annual fund raiser,
black tie gala. Appro-
priately entitled,
"Splendors of the Sea,”
the dinner, dance and
auction wiil feature sea-
inspired decor and live
mermaids.
Planned in the gala
are an elegant dinner
catered by Jackson
Hicks, an exciting dance
and a live auction con-
ducted by Jerry Hart
who has donated his
services for every Guild
auction. A new event
this year is the fish pond
auction where guests
may buy inexpensive
''Knn-'oc S*Qt*h\ t<\
fish for prizes worth
from $100 to $1000
dollars.
There will also be
special door prizes.
Since the winner does
not need to be present,
everyone can participate
in the door prize give-
away. This year there
are three-an Alaskan
Cruise for two including
air fare, a natural
Norwegian blue fox fur
and a $500 gift certifi-
cate from Bowman and
Bowman photographers.
If you would like to
purchase tickets by mail
for a chance to win any
of the three items, call
the Museum at
526-4273.
Tickets are $100 per
person or $2,000 for a
patron table. For an
invitation, call 526-4273.
The George W. Strake
Hall of Malacology will
open to the public Feb.
9. Museum hours are:
Sunday and Monday,
noon to 5 p.m.; Tuesday
through .Saturday 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Admission to
the Museum is $2 adults
and $1 children under
twelve.
The Houston Museum
of Natural Science, a
private non-profit orga-
nization, is located at
One Hermann Circle
Drive in Hermann Park.
For more information
call 526-4273.
Crime drops
By Nick Herrera
Crime in Bellaire
decreased last year.
The total number of
major crimes reported in
1986 dropped 13 percent
from the previous year,
the city’s annual crime
report shows.
Of the eight catego-
ries of major crimes,
only two showed
increases-auto theft
and robbery.
Five categories of
major crimes showed
decreases. These were:
robbery, burglary of a
home, burglary of a
business, theft, assault
and homicide.
The last category,
rape, remained the
same.
The largest jump in
crimes last year came in
auto thefts, police
figures show.
Auto thefts soared 56
percent from 43 cases
reported in 1985 to 67
cases reported in 1986.
Robberies showed a
four percent increase,
with 24 cases in 1985
and 25 cases in 1986.
Homicides showed
the largest percent
decrease, from two
cases in 1985 to zero
cases in 1986--a 100
percent drop.
Burglary of a home
was next, showing a 30
percent reduction. In
1985 there were 125
cases reported, com-
pared to 87 in 1986.
Burglary of a business
dropped 25 percent from
73 cases in 1985 to 55
cases in 1986.
Thefts in Bellaire last
year showed a 15 per-
cent decrease, from 521
in 1985 to 445 in 1986,
Assaults were down 5
percent, from 43 in 1985
to 41 in 1986.
The incidence of rapes
remained the same, with
three reported in
Bellaire in 1985 and
three reported in 1986.
The total number of
major crimes reported
went from 834 in 1985 to
722 in 1986-a 13 percent
decrease.
Bellaire Police Chief
J.H. Loftin attributed
the decreased crime
figures to the coopera-
tion received from
Bellaire citizens in
better security of their
property and increased
patrols of residential
neighborhoods.
“In 1985, we were hit
especially hard by
roving thieves who took
lawn and garden
equipment and bicycles
from unlocked, open
garages and front
yards,” Loftin ex-
plained.
“We began an
aggressive public infor-
mation campaign to
warn the public of these
nitiics arid increased
our neighborhood
patrols.
“Our citizens coop-
erated by securing their
property and I think the
results speak for
themselves,” he added.
Bellaire police
officials noted that many
of the robberies repor-
ted in 1986 were not the
traditional attacks
against businesses
usually associated with
this crime.
Several reports of
rohheries of individuals
were received last year,
police said, and many of
these crimes were
committed by suspects
who assaulted the
victims by hitting them
and ripping gold chains
from their necks.
Five suspects were
arrested for this type of
crime in Bellaire last
year, police officials
added.
The rise in the
number of auto thefts
reported in Bellaire
followed the nationwide
increase in this crime,
officials said.
Local, state and
federal agencies have
formed task force
groups to deal with the
dramatic increase.
Law enforcement
officials are hoping
legislation to require car
manufacturers to place
serial numbers on com-
ponent parts will help in
eliminating the market
created by unscrupulous
used part dealers.
They are also working
to convince insurance
companies to require
that only new parts be
used for replacement in
insurance claims.
In addition, police are
conducting “sting”
operations where
thieves attempt to sell
stolen cars to under-
cover police officers.
1986 also saw reduc-
tions in the number of
accident-related injuries
in Bellaire.
While the total
number of accidents
remained almost the
same (500 in 1985 and
499 in 1986). there was
an 11 percent decrease
in the number of auto
accident-related injuries
(159 in 1985 and 142 in
1986).
The total number of
persons injured in auto
accidents decreased as
well, from 241 in 1985 to
208 in 1986, a 14 percent
drop.
For the second year,
Bellaire reported no
traffic fatalities. These
reductions follow
statewide figures since
the enactment of the
mandatory seatbelt law,
officials said.
Another factor
influencing these fig-
ures, police said, is a 38
percent decrease in the
number of DWI ac-
cidents reported.
In 1985, there were 21
accidents with drinking
drivers listed as a con-
tributing factor, while in
1986 only 13 drinking-
related accidents were
investigated by Bellaire
Police.
"Continued public
pressure on drinking
drivers and public
pliance with seat
restraint laws have had
more positive impact on
traffic accident statistics
than all our past enfor-
cement efforts," Chief
Loftin commented.
"If we are ever going
to make significant
progress in stopping the
carnage that occurs on
our streets and high-
ways, the public must
continue to support
these efforts.”
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Herrera, Nick. The Texan (Bellaire, Tex.), Vol. 34, No. 21, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 28, 1987, newspaper, January 28, 1987; Bellaire, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth648637/m1/1/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bellaire Friends Library & Historical Society.