Christmas Night Dispute Lands Conroe Woman in Jail
Arrested on Drug Charges
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
HOUSTON COUNTY – The holiday season can be the most wonderful time of the year and it can also be the most stressful. Sometimes this stress can boil over and lead to altercations within a family.
Such appeared to be the case on Christmas night when two sisters mixed it up in a car – driven by their mother – while travelling through Houston County.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, as the family travelled between Crockett and Latexo in their Dodge sedan, a physical altercation occurred between Conroe resident Bridgette Nichole Lorenzo, 26, and her older sister.
Crockett Police Officers Jeffery Dean and Shane Sandifer were dispatched to meet with the mother of the two sisters at a convenience store on U.S. Highway 287.
Once contact had been established, the mother explained after the sibling altercation, Bridgette Lorenzo “… had fled the vehicle with her boyfriend, somewhere on U.S. Hwy. 287 north of the city of Crockett.”
While the officers were continued to gather information about the incident, they were made aware Lorenzo was wearing a yellow hoodie. After receiving this information, Dean and Sandifer were then asked to attempt to locate Lorenzo and her boyfriend.
“Around 6:35 p.m., I (Dean) saw what appeared to be a female subject – wearing a yellow hoodie – and a male subject wearing a dark jacket walking on U.S. Hwy. 287 towards the city of Crockett,” the probable cause document stated.
The couple was stopped and after communications between the Houston County dispatcher and the CPD officers, it was learned Lorenzo and her boyfriend might been involved in an “… incident involving family violence. Both Lorenzo and (the boyfriend) were cooperative and provided me with verbal consent to search their person. Lorenzo was carrying a backpack type of purse at the time of our contact and a clutch type purse as well,” the affidavit indicated.
Once Dean secured Lorenzo’s consent to search her backpack and purse, he discovered a pipe used for smoking marijuana, residue from methamphetamine and several different prescription pills with no prescription bottle or other proof the pills belonged to her.
An anti-epileptic drug known as levetiracetam, which may be abused to create a hallucinogenic affect, was found along with a tablet of methocarbamol – a pain reliever/muscle relaxer – was found in an aspirin bottle in Lorenzo’s backpack.
In addition, two single pills of pantoprazole sodium sesquihydrate and tizanidine hydrochloride were found. The pantoprazole is a gastrointestinal medicine while the tizanidine is used in the treatment of spasticity.
Lorenzo was arrested and transported to the Houston County Jail where she was booked into custody on four counts of possession of a dangerous drug and one count of possession of a controlled substance, penalty group one.
The possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), penalty group one is considered a state jail felony.
According to Section 12.35 of the Texas Penal Code, “An individual adjudged guilty of a state jail felony shall be punished by confinement in a state jail for any term of not more than two years or less than 180 days. In addition to confinement, an individual adjudged guilty of a state jail felony may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000.”
The possession of a dangerous drug is considered a Class A misdemeanor and according to Section 12.21 of the Texas Penal Code, “An individual adjudged guilty of a Class A misdemeanor shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $4,000; confinement in jail for a term not to exceed one year; or both such fine and confinement.”
As of Friday, Dec. 29 Lorenzo is still held at the Houston County Jail on bonds totaling $10,500.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
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