Two Known Gang Members Arrested For Gettin' Juggy With It

HOUSTON, TX — Houston Police arrested two men in Midtown this week for burglarizing a vehicle in a new robbery scheme called "bank jugging." HPD said Joseph Mason and Leon Dorsey followed a bank customer to a nearby business and then burglarized the victim's vehicle while they were gone.

According to police, Mason and Dorsey smashed the vehicle window and stole property from within the car. Shortly after, Mason and Dorsey were arrested and the property was recovered. Mason and Dorsey have a lengthy criminal history and are both connected to a 5th Ward Gang, according to HPD.

Mason has 14 prior felony arrests and has been brought in for everything from credit card abuse to burglary of a motor vehicle, theft, felony theft and the following:

• issuing a bad check
• theft by check
• failure to provide ID
• driving while license invalid
• interfering with a public servant
• criminal trespass
• assault
• DWI
• engaging in organized criminal activity
• forgery
• driving while license suspended
• possession of a controlled substance (codeine)
• tampering with evidence

During Wednesday's robbery, Mason was on deferred adjudication for a 2017 credit card abuse case. According to records, he broke into a woman's vehicle at a north Houston gym, stole her credit cards and used them to purchase gift cards and video game consoles.

As for Dorsey, his rap sheet isn't quite as long but it's equally sordid. He has more than five prior felony arrests that also include:

• failure to appear
• criminal trespass
• aggravated robbery
• possession of crack cocaine
• felony dogfighting
• fraudulent possession of identifying information
• felony theft
• deadly conduct
• burglary of a motor vehicle

Houston PD said Mason and Dorsey are documented gang members of the 5th Ward in northeast Houston, and that they are believed to be involved in numerous other bank jugging crimes.

Bank jugging is a new trend growing around Texas and, more specifically and rampant, the Greater Houston area. Instead of traditional bank robbing, criminals wait outside of banks and follow customers who leave. They prey either upon the vehicle or the bank customer themselves to rob them of cash and any other personal items. This also happens when criminals follow people leaving ATM machines.

HPD asks that anyone with information on other crimes these men have been involved with, or anyone who has been the victim of a similar crime, to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477) or the Houston Police Department at 713-884-3131.

Photos via Houston Police Department