06/18/2019
Always being aware of your surroundings and being alert. Thank you FPD for looking after us.....
Sliders caught by Friendswood Police searching for more victims
An undercover officer was watching a suspicious vehicle in the 3100 block of FM 528 on June 14 at 1:25 p.m. The vehicle had paper tags that did not return to the vehicle, the tags expired in 2018 and the occupants of the vehicle appeared to be watching customers leave a local bank.
A marked police unit was summoned and the vehicle was stopped in the 1500 block of W. Bay Area Blvd. Kertius Oreaboe was identified as the driver but did not have a driver’s license. He avoided questions about the paper tag but did give the officer permission to search his vehicle.
The passenger, Robert Stephens, exited the vehicle during the search. The search activity yielded ma*****na found in the center console. Oreaboe and Stephens were taken into custody.
Officers continued the search and found a wallet with an identification card belong to a Hispanic female. The owner of the wallet was contacted and advised that her wallet was stolen while getting fuel at a gas station at 610 and Broadway in Houston at approximately 12:30 p.m. that same day. Oreaboe and Stephens confessed to the theft of the wallet and gave an account of “sliding” to steal the wallet.
Robert Chandler Stephens, 19, of Houston, and Kertius Demond Oreaboe, 19, of Houston, were charged with Burglary of a Motor Vehicle and Fraudulent Use or Possession of Identifying Information. Harris County set their bond at $1,100.
A "slider" is a term used for a crook who preys on people who are pumping gas, loading groceries, or otherwise distracted, and unlawfully enters that person's vehicle from the opposite side where they then steal that person's purse or wallet. This usually occurs at gas station while the victim is pumping gas. The victim usually leaves their purse, wallet, or personal belongings in the car while they pump gas. Suspects takes that opportunity to enter your vehicle and steal whatever they can.
A “jugger” is the street term for a crook who lurks in the shadows of bank parking lots awaiting a likely victim who’s carrying withdrawn cash. The juggers – they almost always work in pairs, trios or even gangs of four – follow the victim when he or she drives away and seizes the money from the person or burglarizes their motor vehicle. In some known cases the victim leaves the money in the car while making a routine stop at a grocery store or fast-food business.
Jugging and Sliding are low risk, high reward crimes perpetrated by organized gang members. Friendswood police are doing what they can to proactively identify these thieves, but there is a lot you can do to keep you and your belongings safe and it begins by always being aware of your surroundings and being alert.
