Fort Bend County, Texas – Police arrested Samantha Morris on Friday on charges of operating a boarding house without a permit. Investigators said a neighbor alerted police to an aggressive dog at a home off a lane in New Village near Alief. When officers went inside, they found obvious signs of neglect and nine people who may have been injured. According to investigators, five of them were taken to a medical facility for treatment.
KPRC2 reporter Corey Peele spoke about Morris' arrest. She doesn't run a boarding house, she said. She provides a home for people and veterans suffering from drug addiction, mental health issues and domestic violence, she said.
“I take care of people. Every family has someone they can't handle anymore. And most people come by word of mouth and some people call me.
Morris said she and two other employees provide services such as food, clothing and transportation to residents. She said she would drive residents to medical facilities if needed.
Justin Jurek is the Fort Bend County Fire Marshal. According to him, there are four homes in the county that have boarding house permits.
The house off New Village Lane is not listed. Jurek said investigators have visited the home in the past when it was owned by another group home owner in 2022.
“We had several meetings and inspections, but ultimately decided to close and vacate the premises in October 2022. We completed a follow-up inspection in late November. We visited again to confirm that the house was still vacant.'' In November 2022, we closed it as a commercial facility because there were no occupants for more than 30 days,'' Jurek said. .
But the house opened again.
“It’s a contract between the operator and the property owner,” Jurek said.
Morris said he doesn't rent a house, but he does rent from a landlord. She rents out her room to her tenants, she said. Morris said homeowners are fine with the arrangement.
KPRC2 reached out to the homeowner, but he did not respond to a request for comment.
One resident told KPRC2 how much they pay in rent.
“I'll pay $950. My dad spends about $200 to $300 out of his pocket for me to stay here,” Justin McClure said.
Investigators said a woman was found inside the house covered in human waste. Morris did not directly answer questions about the residents' conditions, but said some were bedridden and needed help getting dressed.
Mr. Corey asked Mr. Morris why he did not want to obtain a boarding house permit.
“I'm interested. I know what I had to learn about it, but I don't want that in this house. My whole life I've been taking care of people. ”
Morris told Corey that employees at the facility have taken CNA classes and have basic experience working with people suffering from mental illness and addiction.
Authorities are investigating suspicions of domestic abuse and neglect, but no other arrests or charges have been made at this time.
Adult Protective Services sent the following statement to KPRC2.
Adult Protective Services is working with law enforcement to investigate an unauthorized group home on New Village Lane. However, APS is not a regulatory agency and does not have the authority to license facilities or shut down illegal group homes. Families looking to place a loved one in a group home should refer to the following link to find out if the facility is licensed or licensed.
Harris County Sheriff's Office Licensed Housing – Boarding Homes – Harris County Sheriff's Office, Texas (harriscountyso.org)
Housing licensed by the Houston Police Department (within Houston city limits) – HPD Rooming Housing – Mental Health Division (houstoncit.org)
Homes Approved by Fort Bend County – Approved-Boarding-Homes-list.pdf (fortbendcountytx.gov)
Health and Human Services Licensed Facilities – Long Term Care | Texas Department of Health and Human Services
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