Houston' s mayor said a police officer drowned in his vehicle early Sunday morning on his way to work during flooding caused by Harvey.
A Houston police officer drowned in his vehicle during flooding caused by Harvey early Sunday morning. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner confirmed Sgt. Steve Perez died on his way to work. Perez left his home in heavy rain at 4: 30 a.m. to report to an investigation. Houston Police Chief Art. Acevedo said Perez drove for about two and a half hours trying to find a safe way to his station. He called his command and to report he could not get to his duty station. Sgt. Perez followed protocol, which was to go to a second station in Kingwood. On Monday, the chain of command realized Perez had not shown up for work. They knew the dedicated officer would not have simply failed to show up. Perez served on the force for 34 years and was currently assigned to the traffic enforcement division. On Monday evening, the search area was narrowed to Hardy Toll Road and Beltway 8.