A serial convicted burglar from Humble has been caught for the 9th time. John Joseph Paiz has been accused of targeting homes under construction across several local counties for about a decade. FOX 26’s Jillian Hartmann explains.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – A serial convicted burglar from Humble is back behind bars after his latest arrest in Montgomery County.
Serial burglar from Humble caught again
What we know:
John Joseph Paiz has been accused of targeting homes under construction across several Houston-area counties for about a decade.
A private investigator who has helped authorities on several cases says this is the ninth time Paiz has been caught.
What they’re saying:
FOX 26’s spoke with retired Houston police officer and private investigator Mark Stephens, who says he has been tracking Paiz’s alleged crimes for years.
Stephens says Paiz has been arrested about a dozen times since 2010. Over the past decade, he says Paiz has primarily faced theft and burglary charges in Harris, Montgomery, Brazoria and Fort Bend counties.
According to court records, Paiz has been convicted of burglary at least four times in Harris County, involving multiple burglaries.
“John Paiz is a serial burglar. He targets construction sites, new home builders, and he steals everything he can,” Stephens said.
Stephens says Paiz has allegedly stolen doors, windows, appliances, lumber, plywood and other construction materials. He says Paiz will sometimes scout a construction site before returning later, often at night.
“They’ll come back in the middle of the night and start kicking doors in,” Stephens said. “A lot of the times, he involves other people so they can act as his lookout and help him actually load the stolen appliances.”
Stephens believes the stolen items are then resold for money.
“This is his career. It’s his only job,” Stephens said. “He supports himself by stealing from others.”
Paiz was most recently arrested earlier this month and charged with burglary of habitation in Montgomery County, a second-degree felony.
“He creates new victims every time they let him go,” Stephens said.
Dig deeper:
FOX 26 Senior Legal Analyst Chris Tritico says a second-degree felony in Texas carries a potential prison sentence of two to 20 years.
Tritico says Paiz’s criminal history could also be considered by a judge when determining an appropriate bond.
“The court has every ability to take into account all the times he’s been charged in the past and all the repeat offenses he’s done in setting what is a reasonable bond,” Tritico said.
However, Tritico says the current charge generally would not allow a judge to simply order Paiz held without bond.
“The system is not designed to hold people without bond for these types of offenses,” Tritico said. “They can set a higher bond and justify it with all of his previous charges.”
Stephens believes Paiz may be connected to roughly 50 burglaries over the years and says he hopes the latest case will keep him behind bars.
“If he’s released again, the next day, he’ll be committing burglary,” Stephens said.
What’s next:
Paiz remains in the Montgomery County Jail. No bond has been set at this time. FOX 26 reached out to his attorney for comment and is waiting to hear back.
The Source: FOX 26 Reporter Jillian Hartmann spoke with retired Houston Police Officer and private investigator Mark Stephens and FOX 26 Legal Expert Chris Tritico.