texas hurricane relief program workers robbed at gunpoint, threatened with chainsaw:

Construction Crews in Houston Face Rising Robbery Threats

Construction workers from the Texas General Land Office (GLO) in Houston are grappling with a spate of robberies, and the Land Commissioner, Dawn Buckingham, has cited what she calls the city’s lenient crime policies as a contributing factor.

Buckingham expressed her concern over a series of daring robberies targeting GLO construction crews in Houston, Texas. In recent months, these crews have fallen victim to six such incidents, which she described as “brazen.”

“It is completely unacceptable that diligent General Land Office construction teams have endured six assaults since July of this year in Houston,” Buckingham conveyed to Fox News Digital.

According to Buckingham, on Monday, September 18, a group of workers, aiding Hurricane Harvey-affected residents in rebuilding their homes, faced an armed robbery.

“In this most recent bold incident, a construction crew, actively engaged in reconstructing homes devastated by Hurricane Harvey, encountered an armed robbery. Not only were valuable tools forcibly taken from the crew, but one of the assailants shot the supervisor in the hand during the confrontation,” Buckingham stated.

Fox News Digital obtained two police reports from the Houston Police Department that documented previous incidents involving GLO construction crews being targeted for robberies in the city.

One report, dated August 10, detailed the apprehension and arrest of three suspects who allegedly stole multiple Stihl chainsaws from GLO sites. The suspects were apprehended when Houston Police Department officers pulled over a black Chevrolet Cruz, suspected of involvement in multiple aggravated robberies. These individuals faced charges of Aggravated Robbery with a Deadly Weapon.

In another incident, two individuals were arrested for theft from a van used at a GLO site. The police report outlined how the suspects stole an Apple laptop and a backpack after breaking into the organization’s Ford truck.

Buckingham attributed the rise in crime to what she perceives as lenient policies advocated by Democratic leaders in Houston, which, in her view, contribute to the ongoing crime wave.

“When criminals face little accountability for their actions, incidents like these become more common,” Buckingham asserted. “Houston’s lax approach to crime isn’t just jeopardizing the safety of its residents; it’s also affecting the important work of the General Land Office.”