|
Man charged in burglaries convicted
By Ken Fountain
Baytown Sun
Published September 20, 2006
A McNair man charged in a string of burglaries in the Meadowlake Village subdivision last year has been sentenced to 30
years in state prison.
Harold Floyd Cohen, 41, was officially charged in three of the five burglaries or attempted burglaries that plagued the
subdivision between Oct. 24 and Nov. 1, 2005.
In the most egregious of the incidents, a 74-year-old man, Manuel Barba, was severely beaten by someone who had forced
open the front door of his house on Shoshone Drive. Barba's grandson found him lying unconscious in the house. After being
brought to Memorial Hermann Hospital, Barba was able to provide some information to investigators.
Within eight days, there were four more home invasion-type or burglary incidents in the normally quiet neighborhood just
north of Interstate 10 in Baytown's extraterritorial jurisdiction. The apparent target in the incidents was jewelry. All of
the incidents occurred during the day or early evening.
The incidents led the Meadowlake Village Homeowners Association to increase security patrols by off-duty Sheriff's Office
deputies. The Sheriff's Office also assigned its Burglary Apprehension Response Squad to investigate the burglaries, with
the assistance of the Baytown Police Department.
In early November, investigators determined Cohen was the lead suspect in the robberies, based on a witness statement,
and charged him in three of the incidents.
After releasing Cohen's name and description, police arrested him later that month after finding him hiding in a closet
of a home on Royal Avenue in McNair following a CrimeStoppers tip.
At the time of the burglaries, Cohen was on parole for previous burglary convictions.
At the time, authorities did not rule out that other suspects may have been involved in the crimes.
|
