The Woodlands, Texas (Montgomery County Monitor) - Around 12:50 a.m. on Tuesday, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) personnel responded to an alarm call at the Sterling Ridge Estates located on Lake Woodlands Drive in The Woodlands, Texas.
There was some initial confusion about the nature of the call. At first it was thought it may have been a robbery, but further investigation revealed it was an alleged theft of a computer from the victim’s residence. According to reports, when the victim attempted to stop the suspect from taking the property, the suspect hit the victim in the face. The victim apparently knew the suspect.
Blaine Tyler Bailess
Once on-scene, deputies stopped a vehicle exiting the apartment complex. One of the occupants, Blaine Tyler Bailess, a 26 year-old male from Spring, Texas was seen throwing something into the woods. Deputies recovered the substance, a clear plastic bag containing cocaine. Bailess was arrested and charged with numerous offenses including property theft, possession of a controlled substance, tampering/fabricating physical evidence and intent to deliver a controlled substance(bond $20,000). The other occupant, believed to be a former boyfriend of one of the involved parties, fled on foot.
Unable to quickly apprehend the second suspect, deputies tried to pinpoint his location via his cell phone, which was occasionally used to call the victim.
At approximately 3:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, with the victim at a local emergency clinic, The Woodlands Fire Department was dispatched to a fire at the same residence . When fire department personnel arrived on scene, they reported light smoke emanating from the structure. A couch inside the residence was burning and was quickly extinguished by firefighters.
Robert Dwayne Thomas
On-scene sources suspected the fire was intentionally set by the former boyfriend and the Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office(MCFMO) was called to investigate.
The suspect that fled the original scene, Robert Dwayne Thomas, was arrested at approximately 9:00 a.m. Tuesday morning in the ditch near the intersection of Kuykendahl Road and Flintridge Drive. Thomas, a 28 year-old male from Riverside, Texas was charged with evading arrest ($30,000 bond) and assault.
Other charges may be pending. The investigation is on-going.
