The Police News / Jamie Nash
October 16, 2009
EAST MONTGOMERY COUNTY - An accused sexual predator has even more legal problems after leading police on a high speed chase on Thursday that ended when an officer shot out the suspect's tires, causing him to crash.
Michael Jeremy Heck, 18, who lives at 26776 Peach Creek Dr. in New Caney is charged with:
* 4 counts of Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer (first-degree felony)
* Evading Arrest in a Motor Vehicle (state jail felony)
* Aggravated sexual assault of a child (first-degree felony) - outstanding warrant
The bizarre incident began where many have, in the courtroom of Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts in the East Montgomery County Annex on US 59 in New Caney. The judge had left the office to retrieve some paperwork when a woman in the courtroom recognized Heck as the man wanted for sexually assaulting her daughter. She and Heck were each present in the court on unrelated matters. The woman informed the bailiff of the situation and the bailiff asked Heck to step into the jury area while he contacted the county to confirm the woman's claim.
Panicked, Heck tried to leave and after a brief struggle with the deputy, he managed to run out of the building and get into his pickup, then escape southbound on the US 59 feeder road.
Pct. 4 Lt. Mark Seals happened to look out of his office window and saw the bailiff run past, chasing Heck. Seals ran to his patrol car and radioed dispatch as he began to pursue the suspect's vehicle
Heck u-turned under the freeway at FM 1314 in Porter, and headed northbound on the feeder road until he nearly reached Community Drive before he took a shortcut to that street through a bank parking lot and then went east to Loop 494.
Seals said Heck's pickup nearly struck a motorcycle patrol car early in the pursuit and then endangered civilians by running them off of the road trying to strike other officers' patrol vehicles as he continued northbound on Loop 494 to FM 1485 where he turned east toward Harris County.
Multiple Pct. 4 units joined the pursuit, assisted by Montgomery County Sheriff's Office patrol units. Spikes were deployed, but Heck managed to avoid them and continue eastbound. Seals said Heck later admitted that he tried to strike officers during the pursuit and planned to kill himself as well.
It just so happened that Judge Metts was in his pickup returning to the annex on FM 1485 when heard the pursuit over his county radio. Metts said when he heard the suspect was running cars off the road and trying to hit police vehicles, he decided to become involved. The judge parked and waited at the county line with a firearm, which he planned to use to shoot out the suspect's tires and end the pursuit.
However, Judge Metts never had to pull the trigger because Lt. Seals had the same idea and succeeded a short distance west of where the judge was parked.
Seals said firing a weapon is always a last resort, but after multiple civilian and law enforcement lives had been threatened and spike strips failed, it was time to take aim at the tires before Heck struck someone head-on.
While driving, Seals managed to take aim and fire around Pin Oak Rd., striking Heck's tires. The pickup ran off of the road, striking several objects including a tree, the sign for New Caney Fire Station 153 and finally a utility pole which broke and dropped power lines across FM 1485, closing the road for hours.
Heck was examined at an area hospital and released to Pct. 4 deputies.
