According to Brownwood Police, an investigation of a burglary of a home early Monday morning involving an assault and has led to the arrest of a Brownwood man.
Officers were dispatched to the 2300 block of 1st Street at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Monday, April 29th regarding the burglary. Detectives with BPD’s Criminal Investigations Division also responded for follow-up investigations. According to Sergeant James Kidd, evidence was gathered at the scene which led to the arrest of 40-year-old Dempsey Douglas Webb for burglary of a habitation with the intent to commit another felony, an assault.
Kidd stated that Webb allegedly entered the home through an open bedroom window and inappropriately touched a woman in her early 20s. The home at the time of the assault was occupied by the victim and her other family members, said Kidd. She had been asleep in her bedroom with her young child, when she was awoken by the unexpected touch of the intruder, Kidd stated.
When the victim awoke and initiated a light on her cell phone, Webb was reported to have fled through the same unlocked and open window he had entered, explained Kidd. Investigators state that the incident took place in a very short period of time. No injuries were reported related to the assault; however, it is classified as an assault because of the inappropriate touching, according to Kidd.
According to Assistant Chief James Fuller, information gathered from the investigation led police to identify Webb as the suspect. After search warrants were executed and a warrant issued on Wednesday for an arrest, Webb was located at the jobsite of his employment with an oilfield company in Eddy County, New Mexico on Thursday, stated Kidd. The arrest was made by Eddy County Sheriff’s Office.
“The detectives worked really long hours, they had a very difficult job, they gathered up evidence for quite a long time and followed up on leads which led them to the suspect identified, Mr. Webb. This was a very in-depth investigation which even involved the assistance of Brown County Sheriff’s Office,” said Fuller.
Webb is currently being held in the Eddy County, NM Jail, awaiting extradition to Brown County, said Brownwood Police Chief Mike Corley. According to Eddy County Jail officials, Webb is being held on bonds totaling $150,000.
The investigation is ongoing and Webb may face additional charges if the investigation ties him to other similar crimes, said Kidd. According to Fuller, Webb does have a criminal history in Brownwood for which he has been incarcerated in the past, in both jail and prison.
“This is a good man to get off of the streets, he is a pervert, that is for sure,” said Corley.
Kidd further explained that this is the first time he has touched one of his victims. No other burglaries that may be tied to Webb involved such assaults, according to Kidd.
Chief Corley, Assistant Chief Fuller, and Sgt. Kidd stressed that this crime is another reminder to the public to raise their level of awareness, even when they are home with other family members.
“This is a reminder to the community, to be cautious, to secure their property and yourselves in your homes, to take the security of your family seriously as you go throughout life of course,” said Fuller.
Fuller stated that the public should be sure to lock their vehicles and homes, be sure that windows and doors are locked. He stated that sometimes he is amazed at people who won’t call in suspicious incidents because they “don’t want to bother the police.”
“This is our job, one thing that we choose to do is go after those calls. We want to catch those people who are out at 3:00 in the morning and doing wrong,” said Fuller. “It’s a community effort; we all have to be involved unfortunately to keep the community safe.”
Chief Corley agreed and further stated, “This guy has a reputation of walking around at night. If anyone sees something suspicious, someone walking around in the late hours of the night or early morning, call us.”
Corley stated that he is proud of how the investigation was handled very carefully which led to a successful arrest.
“I can’t say it enough how proud I am of the investigative unit, they did a great job,” said Corley. “They did a great job and their dedication – they worked right through the clock – got the warrants as they should have and gathered evidence and gave it proper priority. It was an important case and now we have a guy in custody.”
Webb is pictured above, from a previous arrest in Brown County.
