HOUSTON – Law enforcement in Harris County is on the hunt for two men believed to be serial lottery ticket thieves, striking local businesses with brazen repeat burglaries. In the wee hours of Dec. 15, the suspects were caught on camera during their latest heist at a Circle K store on Spring Cypress Road. The duo is rumored to have pilfered a rash of scratch-offs before vanishing into the night.
These are not your run-of-the-mill crooks trying to score fast cash. The perpetrators strategically return multiple times to hit the same establishments, as reported by FOX 26 Houston. One of the alleged thieves was described by the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office as a Black male with long dreadlocks, donning a black shirt and camouflage pants. His accomplice, also a Black male, favored a brown Reebok tracksuit while engaging in the illicit activity.
Their spree of ticket-snatching comes into sharper focus with the story of Robert Earl Green, 39, who was arrested for a similar crime earlier this year. According to Click2Houston, Green and a woman collaborator reportedly swiped a display full of Texas Lottery scratch-off tickets from Z's Shell Food Mart in Jersey Village. Their criminal endeavors didn't stop at theft but extended to attempting to cash in on the illicitly obtained tickets.
The relentless pursuit by detectives connected the stolen tickets to fraudulent winnings claimed at a Houston Kroger. Green's penchant for trying to quickly claim his unlawful prizes led to his downfall, belied by the very vehicle authorities say was used in the illegal escapades. "Detectives found the vehicle, a sedan with dark tinted windows and Texas plate GJJ4439, to be the same one at both crime scenes," as mentioned by Click2Houston. Green was subsequently arrested and slapped with charges of claiming a lottery prize by fraud; his bail was set at a steep $10,000.
The authorities have taken to the public, seeking assistance to collar these alleged lottery looters. Harris County Constable Mark Herman urges anyone with information to contact our dispatch at 281-376-3472.
