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Wanted suspect cuts power to Humble food trucks
Several food truck owners are worried about their community after a thief targeted a storage lot in Humble early Thursday morning, slicing through several vital electrical cords. FOX 26's Angie Rodriguez spoke to some of the owners, including the one who caught the suspect on camera.
HUMBLE, Texas - Several local food truck owners are worried about their community after a thief targeted a storage lot in the Humble/Atascocita area early Thursday morning, slicing through several vital electrical cords.
Wanted suspect targets Humble food trucks
What we know:
The incident took place at the Porky’s Backyard Food Truck Park along Atascocita Road near Timber Forest Drive.
According to business owners, a total of nine trucks were hit or damaged, with five having their heavy-duty power and generator cords completely cut.
A patrol deputy with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene around 5:38 a.m. Thursday. According to investigators, the person fled the storage lot on foot toward a nearby apartment complex.
No arrests have been made.
Without electrical lines to keep refrigeration units running, power grills, and operate point-of-sale systems, owners were left racing against the clock to protect thousands of dollars in perishable food and salvage daily sales.
What we don't know:
The suspect's identity is unknown, and the motive is not clear.
Caught on camera
What they're saying:
Security cameras captured the person walking through the lot carrying a large pair of bolt cutters.
"You're going to see a lady in short shorts and a hoodie [and] beanie. She rolls in, she starts walking through," said Porky’s co-owner Austin Wolf. "It's odd how she does it. She's kind of weaving back and forth like she's not making any sense. Got a big old pair of bolt cutters and just cutting them off one at a time, putting them on a cart, dragging them around."
Dennis Hagans, owner of Chicken Coop HTX, was already awake preparing for his morning shift when a security notification alerted his phone to movement on the lot before sunrise.
"A lot of us get started early, don't get me wrong. But the sun is not up yet," Hagans said. "I get this notification, I'm already up to get ready for my day, and immediately, I start to assess what's happening here. And what I noticed was something that was very unnormal."
In the area, Hagans says he rushed to the property to protect his setup and look out for his fellow vendors.
"I did come because it wasn't just about what I saw around my truck, but what could potentially be happening to the other trucks or just the property here," Hagans explained. "It takes a village to really make sure that business is successful, and so we've got to be each other's eyes and ears."
Hagans' arrival allegedly spooked the intruder, causing the person to abandon the scene before further damage could be done.
The ripple effect
Big picture view:
While replacing the severed heavy-gauge cables cost thousands of dollars for the owner of the property to replace, they emphasize that the real issue is the disruption to daily operations.
"Really, what makes it harder is you stop these guys from opening, right?" Wolf said. "It's not just the fact that, okay, you took the power cable. That sucks. You got to buy another one. But now you have to wait for it to come in."
"You end up missing a shift. Your food spoils, and so it's everything else around it," Wolf added. "The employees who work there—if that guy can't open that day, and he can't work that day, well, that guy also doesn't get paid. And so he can't feed his family. So it's not just the item, it's everything else that item supports."
What you can do:
Anyone with information regarding the incident or the person's whereabouts is urged to contact the Harris County Sheriff's Office Burglary & Theft Unit at 713-274-9200.
The Source: Harris County Sheriff's Office, owner of Porky's Food Truck Storage Lot and owners of several food trucks parked at the establishment.