Not-so-smooth criminals: Best of local police reports

The party's over: It's hard to pump a keg with handcuffs on

An Angelina County mother and father who hid in their bathroom at home during a raid of their son's 16th birthday party were arrested May 11 by state agents for allegedly supplying alcohol to approximately 50 underage kids, a state spokesman said Friday.

Agent Ron Clinton with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said the couple's drunk 13-year-old son led them to Earnest Mark Hough, 41, and Rhonda Hough, 43.

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While agents interviewed teens in the Houghs' front yard, the couple's 13-year-old son, apparently intoxicated, wandered off. Agents later found him talking to his parents through a bathroom door, Clinton said.

"He was getting instructions from them on what to tell us," he said.

Once agents were able to coax the couple out, Clinton said both denied knowing of the party at their residence and how the alcohol had gotten there.

Agents along with deputies from Angelina County Sheriff's Office found two tapped beer kegs and a cooler of vodka punch at the Houghs' home on FM 841, east of Lufkin, Clinton said.

An anonymous tip led agents to the house.

When law enforcement first arrived at about 9 p.m., they saw several cars parked on the street, Clinton said. As they made their way toward the house, they saw as many as 50 underage kids, appearing to be from the ages of 13 to 17, socializing out front.

"When they realized who we were, numerous kids took off running, dropping beverages," Clinton said. "We gathered up as many (children) as we could and started conducting our investigation."

Clinton said there was a lot of confusion during the raid. Several teens told agents the parents were out of town.

"We attempted to call the owners, and couldn't get anything but voicemail," he said.

Then they found the Houghs' 13-year-old son, who later unknowingly led them to the Houghs hiding inside the house.

Agents called parents for teens under the age of 16. Those who were 17 were given a field sobriety test, Clinton said. If they passed, they were free to go. If not, their parents were also called.

Agents released the Houghs' children to a family member, Clinton said.

The Houghs each posted a $1,500 bond May 12. They are expected to be arraigned in the coming weeks in an Angelina County courtroom.

Furnishing alcohol to a minor is a class A misdemeanor offense.

In April, The Lufkin Daily News published a story with statistics from The Coalition that showed underage drinking in Angelina County is higher than the national and state averages.

The Houghs could not be reached for comment.

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You don't have to call me honey anymore

Criminal trespass, 300 block of West College Street in Nacogdoches. A woman entered a man's apartment and poured honey on his clothes. She was arrested.

No car + No crack = Not cool.

Car theft was reported by a woman who said she loaned her vehicle to a female acquaintance to buy her some crack cocaine in Lufkin, a police report stated. The woman returned without the crack and said a man had taken the car keys and would not return them, a police report stated. Police later arrested Alonzo D. Turner, 30, when he was spotted driving the car on North Timberland Drive, the report stated.

Thieves make clean getaways

Theft of a vacuum cleaner was reported at Sears in Lufkin Mall, a police report stated. A security guard reported he saw a man fleeing in a Dodge truck with the high-powered suction device.

In an unrelated crime, wash pots were stolen from outside a house in the 2300 block of Paul in Lufkin, a police report stated.

The sunlight coming in the house wasn't your first clue?

Reckless damage, University Drive in Nacogdoches. A man reported that a hole had been shot in his roof, which he did not locate until it rained.

Sleeping? Library? No way!

Theft, Steen Library, SFA. A woman said that while she was asleep on the third floor of the library, her book was taken.

Can you do a burglar a solid?

A woman who caught a man breaking into her home said the man asked her for a ride because police were after him, a Lufkin police report stated.

The woman arrived home just after 10 p.m., noticing a car in her garage and the front the front door open, the report stated. As she pulled up, a man ran out of her house and asked her for a ride. He left the scene prior to police being called, the report said.