Mont Belvieu Police Department
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MEDIA RELEASE:
Double Fatality Crash
01-16-2024
On Tuesday January 16th at approximately 10:30 a.m., the Mont Belvieu Police Department (MBPD) received a report of a one-vehicle crash that had just occurred in the 1700 block of FM 565 North at East Winfree Avenue in Mont Belvieu.
Officers arrived and determined that the crash involved a 2009 Ford Explorer Sport Trac, which had failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway, then left the roadway before striking a utility pole and a tree, ejecting one passenger. There were no weather-related factors, road surfaces were dry and ice-free.
The vehicle had been occupied by the driver, 20-year-old RUBIN RENE VILLARREAL, Hispanic male, from Baytown TX, and two (2) passengers; 17-year-old PRESLEY ELIZABETH CAUTHEN, white female, of Mont Belvieu and 14-year-old KAILEI NICOLE RHODES, white female, of Baytown.
Both RHODES and CAUTHEN were pronounced deceased at the scene by Chambers County Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace Blake Sylvia.
Next-of-kin notifications on both CAUTHEN and RHODES have been made by MBPD.
VILLARREAL was transported by Mont Belvieu EMS to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston where he was treated for his injuries and later released.
Upon VILLARREAL’s release from the hospital, he was arrested by MBPD and charged with two (2) counts of Criminally Negligent Homicide, $250,000 bond each, one count of Unlawful Possession of Firearm by Felon, $25,000 bond.
In addition to the MBPD arrest charges, investigators also determined that VILLARREAL had three (3) outstanding felony warrants with no bond(s) out of Harris County for Aggravated Robbery, Burglary, and Evading Detention in a Vehicle.
VILLARREAL was booked into the Mont Belvieu PD Holding Facility before being transported to the Chambers County Jail.
FM 565 was closed for several hours while the Mont Belvieu Police Department Accident Reconstruction Team completed their investigation and while CenterPoint Energy crews worked to replace the broken utility pole.
This is an active investigation. Please direct any questions or media inquiries to MBPD Chief of Police Jimmy Ellison at jellison@montbelvieu.net
Story 2:
On Monday, 1-8-2024, at approximately 8:00 p.m., a patrol officer observed a black Chevrolet Suburban performing ‘donuts’ in a grocery store parking lot. The vehicle then engaged in reckless driving and evaded law enforcement, leading to a pursuit covering about 2.5 miles on various streets before it was terminated. A few minutes after the pursuit ended, a call was made to Baytown Police dispatch reporting a reckless black Suburban driving at a high rate of speed with its headlights off. Officers attempted to make contact.
The suspect, later identified as 18-year-old Joshua Rendon of Baytown, was apprehended with the assistance of a police service dog; no K9 contact occurred during the search. Additional units arrived, establishing a secure perimeter for K9 officers and the Texas DPS Helicopter Unit #102. Rendon was charged with evading in a motor vehicle and taken into custody without incident.