Here are things to know for Thursday, Feb. 17:
1. Houston man sentenced to more than 4 years in prison for $317 million N95 mask scam
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A Houston man has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for scheming to fraudulently sell 50 million non-existent N95 facemasks to the Australian government, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Arael Doolittle, 56, pleaded guilty on July 27, 2021. He was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison.
In April 2020, authorities said Doolittle attempted to sell 50 million 3M N95 respirator masks to the government of Australia. However, he actually did not possess the masks.
The Australian government was supposed to pay over $317 million for the masks, but authorities disrupted the transaction before it was completed.
2. Conroe ISD high school head baseball coach accused of soliciting minors online for sex
A Conroe Independent School District high school baseball coach accused of soliciting minors online for sex was arrested Wednesday at the school. He is being held in the Montgomery County Jail.
Joseph Madison Johnson, 30, of Spring -- who is also a history teacher -- was arrested in the parking lot of Caney Creek High School for online solicitation of a minor, the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office said in a news release on Wednesday afternoon.
The office said the arrest came after a five-month-long investigation conducted by the constable’s office, Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, with support from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office-Public Integrity Division.
Authorities said undercover officers began communicating online on a social media site and via text messaging with Johnson in September and October 2021. The undercover officers used the undercover personas of 14- and 16-year-old girls, a news release said.
3. Trial begins for former Baytown police officer indicted on assault charge
The trial begins for a former Baytown Police officer who was indicted on an assault charge in September of 2020.
Nathaniel Brown, who was a 9-year veteran of the Baytown Police Department, was charged with assault in connection with the June 2 incident outside the Baytown Market.
Brown was also relieved of duty by the Baytown Police department after a video of his encounter with two witnesses, Skylar Gilmore and Isaiah Phillips, had surfaced.
Brown and another officer were initially attempting to arrest a friend of Gilmore’s after he parked near gas pumps at the store. Gilmore and Phillips saw the arrest happening and began to record it.
4. Man robs bank while wearing tube socks on hands before being found hiding under pile of clothes inside SUV
A gunman has been arrested after police say he robbed a bank in Kemah on Wednesday.
According to police, the robbery happened at the Texas First Bank.
The suspect reportedly robbed the bank while wearing tube socks on his hands, investigators say.
He then fled the scene on foot, starting a search around State Highway 146 and FM 518.
After about an hour and a half search, police located an SUV in a Dairy Queen parking lot about a block away from the bank.
Investigators say while searching the area the SUV was in, they heard a noise in the back of the vehicle. Officers immediately surrounded the vehicle and located the suspect.
5. From the NFL to the classroom: 1st Black principal at Dulles Middle School uses experiences to show students importance of education
A Former Houston Oiler has found a different way to showcase his leadership ability and positively impact others. This time, he’s working with kids.
Dulles Middle School principal Dr. Reginald Brown says his motivation comes from people who said he couldn’t do the things he’s accomplished.
“For me, it’s just always been about the things people say you can’t do,” the principal said.
Brown, who is the first African American principal at the Fort Bend ISD middle school, took his talents from the football field to the classroom.
The former wide receiver stepped away from the field back in 1994 after an injury ended his career. Sometime after that, Brown decided to get his Master’s and Doctorate degrees from Liberty University in Educational Leadership.