One suspect was charged 13 times. Another, seven. A Houston advocate says small businesses are paying the price and he’s had enough.
HOUSTON — A Houston crime victims advocate is calling on state lawmakers to crack down on repeat thieves after tracking dozens of suspects who were arrested multiple times in a single year, saying small businesses can’t keep absorbing the losses.
Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers says he has been keeping detailed records on what he calls habitual thieves targeting local businesses. He says in 2025, some suspects were arrested multiple times in the same year, and just this week, two people who broke into a comic book store off Highway 290 had lengthy criminal records, with one charged 13 times and the other seven times.
He says the cycle has gone on long enough and that thieves have figured out the system works in their favor.
“Got to send a message out to the thieves. They know they are winning every time they call the bluff, they end up with a winning hand.”
Kahan is now pushing for enhanced penalties that would kick in for repeat offenders.
“On that third, fourth, fifth, you will get enhanced to a third-degree felony, subject to two to three years in prison.”
He spoke with a state representative Thursday and hopes a bill can be presented at the next legislative session.
But not everyone is convinced tougher laws will do the trick. David Kwok, an associate professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center, says a lot of moving parts would have to align, including judges, prosecutors and parole boards.
“People act differently in light of the law. That is to say, prosecutors are more willing to reduce charges if it doesn’t seem fair to trigger a large sentence for a relatively minor offense, and judges might also be cautious too.”
Kwok also raised a broader question about whether stiffer penalties actually prevent crime in the first place.
“Does an offender think about the punishment before they offend?”
Kahan says that debate aside, something has to change for the sake of small business owners who don’t have the resources to keep recovering from break-ins the way larger retailers do.
“They can’t come back like the chains can come back. This is their livelihood. They poured their life and sweat into it.”
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