Here are things to know for Tuesday, June 22:
1. ‘I am terrified to come out’: Neighbors concerned after 6-year-old boy hit by stray bullet in north Harris County
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Harris County deputies are investigating after a 6-year-old child was shot in north Harris County Monday evening.
Deputies responded to reports of a shooting in the 15400 block of Bammel Field Court.
Deputies said someone was firing shots in the area when a stray bullet was shot through a field, hit a fence, traveled through a home and struck the 6-year-old boy in the torso.
The child was transported to the hospital in stable condition, deputies said.
Deputies said the suspect(s) involved maybe have been driving a newer-model Camaro with tinted windows.
2. Reward increases to $15,000 in deadly shooting of 62-year-old woman at southeast Houston gym
Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston Police Chief Troy Finner are asking for the public’s help in finding who killed a 62-year-old woman outside of a gym in southeast Houston last Thursday.
Turner and Finner were joined by the family members of Elsa Mikeska and Crime Stoppers of Houston Monday at 3:30 p.m. during a news conference to seek the public’s help in identifying her killers. Turner announced an additional $10,000 reward to the $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. He also said local businesses and owners have agreed to give more on several other cases.
“People really loved her,” said Angel Nicole Rocha, Mikeska’s daughter. “I mean we’ve been really overwhelmed with how many people have reached out to us.”
3. Sheldon ISD teacher fired, charged with 2 counts of sexual assault of child, documents show
A former C.E. King High School teacher, Katrina Louisa Maxwell, has been charged with two counts of sexual assault of a child under 17 years of age.
According to court records, Maxwell began to have a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old male student during spring break in March and April. The district became aware of the relationship between Maxwell and the student when a district employee noticed Maxwell’s behavior with the student when she saw him with his girlfriend, according to court records. The employee also reported a second incident where Maxwell is accused of throwing a pair of scissors at the student’s head for sitting next to his girlfriend, according to court records.
After an investigation, Maxwell admitted to having sex twice with the student in the backseat of her vehicle while being interviewed, according to court documents. When the student was interviewed, he told investigators that he and Maxwell had sex a number of times between March and April, according to court records.
4. No end in sight for drivers dealing with SH-288 pavement issues, officials say
There appears to be no end in sight for drivers dealing with detours on SH-288 southbound due to a pavement failure two months ago.
The lanes from 610 to West Belfort have been closed since April 20 after part of a new overpass near Holmes Road collapsed.
The Texas Department of Transportation did not respond to questions from KPRC 2 about the status of the repairs when the road would reopen or any possible penalties and fines facing Blueridge Transportation Group, the company in charge of construction.
5. Biden objects to raising gas tax to pay for infrastructure
The White House made clear Friday that President Joe Biden was opposed to letting the federal gasoline tax rise at the rate of inflation to help pay for an infrastructure package that a bipartisan group of 21 senators is trying to craft.
The gas tax increase was part of an early package that called for $579 billion in new spending on roads, bridges, rail and public transit. It’s unclear if it will make the final cut and the White House seems intent on making sure it doesn’t.
“The President has been clear throughout these negotiations: He is adamantly opposed to raising taxes on people making less than $400,000 a year,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said. “After the extraordinarily hard times that ordinary Americans endured in 2020 — job losses, shrinking incomes, squeezed budgets — he is simply not going to allow Congress to raise taxes on those who suffered the most.”