An alleged “panty pirate” has been arrested in Huntsville and is being held on a $75,000 bond.
Two women living in different units at The Republic at Sam Houston Apartments on Lake Road reported that their underwear and other personal items had been stolen from their unlocked apartments. The burglaries occurred in January and May, according to the police department press release.
Brandon George, 30, was arrested on May 22 by the Huntsville police and later released on $40,000 bail.
During the investigation, police searched George’s home and discovered several pairs of women’s underwear, some identified as belonging to the two victims and some that were not immediately accounted for.
As the investigation continued, police identified a third victim at the apartment complex whose underwear had been stolen. All three of the known victims were women in their 20s.
Police again arrested George and charged him with an additional count of burglary. He is currently being held at the Walker County Jail with a bond set at $75,000.
Police believe there may be other victims who have not yet come forward or may not be aware that their undergarments have been taken.
“There could very well be more out there that, you know, we haven’t uncovered yet,” Lt. Wade Roberts of the Huntsville PD told KPRC TV.
Anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of the panty pirate or who may have information about the case is asked to call the Huntsville PD at 936-291-5417.
Police credited some sharp-eyed witnesses for helping crack the case after they reported seeing George lurking around the apartment buildings.
“He was always just around the area and stuck out to some of those people down there. Once we started asking a few questions and putting the pieces together, it led straight to him,” Lt. Roberts said, per KPRC TV.
Meanwhile, in Dallas, police are fighting an uphill battle against crime, as the police force is chronically understaffed, according to the president of the Dallas Police Association, Mike Mata. In January, he noted that the department was short approximately 400-500 officers.
The shortfall of police officers has allowed crime to rise dramatically in parts of the city, such as Council Member Omar Narvaez’s District 6. Year over year in March, the district saw a 32% increase in car burglaries, a 40% increase in home and business burglaries, and a 20.4 % increase in assaults, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Crime is also rampant in the downtown Dallas area, especially in comparison to neighboring Fort Worth, which has dedicated bike patrols protecting its city center.
In the first four months of the year, 1,909 reports of burglary or breaking and entering were filed in Dallas. Public Information Officer Kristin Lowman told The Dallas Express that more recent crime figures from the City’s crime analytics dashboard are not currently reliable due to the alleged ransomware attack on its servers in May.
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