KHOU 11 – Texas lawmaker pushes to crack down on jugging | Why he says it’s organized crime
A Houston woman is speaking out after thieves broke into her car and stole money she had just pulled from the bank.
This comes as a state lawmaker is looking to raise the punishment for this type of crime, more commonly known as jugging.
State Representative David Cook from Fort Worth said jugging should be made into a separate criminal offense in Texas. He said this would finally address the crime at its earliest stage — when someone has the intent to steal.
For Houston resident, Katherine, this past week has been a whirlwind.
“I’m praying for them, you know, and it’s not the right thing to do,” she said.
Katherine said last Monday she was the victim of a jugging incident. Jugging is when individuals are targeted for robberies, usually after leaving a bank or high-end store.
In Katherine’s case, she had just pulled cash from a Chase Bank off West Grey before driving a few minutes to her church, Saint Anne.
“I thought I was going to be in there for, you know, less than 5 minutes,” Katherine said.
During that time, someone managed to smash open her driver’s side window, running off with $1,000 cash.
Katherine wants to share her story in hopes it might help someone else.
“I think that it’s very possible for whoever committed this crime to be found, and I would hope that the police will take this very seriously,” she said.
In 2023, Houston police formed a task force to take on the issue of jugging.
“It’s the responsibility of our elected officials and the police to prioritize this to stop it from happening,” Katherine said.
Nearly two years after the task force was formed, Cook introduced a bill to make jugging a specific criminal offense.
If passed into law, House Bill 1902 will classify the crime as a state jail felony.
If a robbery or burglary takes place, charges could range from a third-degree felony to a first-degree felony depending on if there’s violence involved.
State Rep. Cook said in part this looks to “give law enforcement a clear framework to crack down on jugging before it leads to serious injury or loss of life.”
He said the idea for the bill came after seeing a rise in hugging.
“Recent reoccurring offenses in the Houston area, for example, have shown that many of these offenders are suspected to be a part of organized crime rings,” Cook told KHOU 11 News in a statement. “Ultimately, my goal with this legislation is to enhance public safety, deter criminals from targeting vulnerable individuals, and give law enforcement a clear framework to crack down on jugging before it leads to serious injury or loss of life.”
Houston police said are looking for a grey Infiniti connected to Katherine’s case.
