Pearland authorities arrest 2 suspects in jugging investigation

Only on Fox here tonight, a victim is speaking out after police say she was followed from a bank and then targeted in a jugging incident in Pearland. The two people you're looking at here is Charles Randall and Crystal Lewis. They have been arrested and charged. Investigators believe they may be part of a much larger group committing similar crimes all across the area. Fox 26's Jillian Hartman joining us live after speaking with the victim. Jillian. Hey, Anthony. I spoke with the victim over the phone. So she said last week on Wednesday, October 14th, she just went to the bank in the Houston area to make a deposit. But while she was inside, she noticed a woman being suspicious and it caught her attention. Here's what she told me. I did my deposit, she kept on walking in and out of the bank. She was just standing in the lobby of the bank. So that was what caught me. I'm like, why is this lady just standing there? She's not going nowhere. She's not going to the customer service. She's not going to the window. She's not making a withdrawal. So that's what caught my attention. But I didn't think anything of it because once again, we are inside a bank. I didn't think nothing was gonna happen that she was gonna follow me. So that's one of the red flags that I will tell people. If you see somebody just inside of the bank, just walking in and out multiple times, be aware because that's not normal. So police tell me the two people behind me, Charles Randall and Crystal Lewis, actually followed the woman to her home and then to a restaurant in Pearland. And around 1 that afternoon, police say the suspects broke into her vehicle, stole her passport while she was inside just having lunch. Ordered coffee and then as soon as I sat down, this other lady came inside and she told me that there was something happening to my vehicle. I rushed outside and then they had already broken the passenger window. And as soon as everybody started screaming for help, obviously they ran away and left. They probably took less than one minute. It was in and out. They took my passport. I was very surprised. I would have never thought that people were actually following up people out of the bank and setting them up. And they followed me home. I wouldn't thought that this was going to happen. I'm very, very, very surprised. So police were called to the scene and witnesses gave them a description of the suspect's vehicle, a gray Nissan Pathfinder. And police say that information helped investigators track the SUV near the Bay Brook Mall. So the suspects actually switched license plates to try to avoid getting caught. And within hours of the first jugging incident, authorities were able to locate the SUV at another bank in Houston targeting a second victim. Investigators say the suspects followed the victim from the bank to another location where they broke into a truck. Authorities then arrested Randall and Lewis. They've been charged with jugging and committing burglary of a motor vehicle, which is a third-degree felony. And we're told the charges were filed in Harris and Brazoria counties. And Pearland police tell me that they have seen an increase in jugging incidents across our area. And they believe the two suspects may be part of a larger group, and right now they're working with multiple agencies on this. So I did talk to police about how there are red flags and warning signs. And police shared those tips that people should look out for when they go to the bank. And I'll have that story tonight at 10.