Two men allegedly broke into The Deck on Fountainview early Sunday morning around 4:45 a.m., making off with more than $7,000 in inventory and leaving behind over $10,000 in structural damage at the Houston sports bar. The venue’s team posted surveillance video of the alleged burglars on Monday, asking the public to help identify them, even as the bar stayed open for business through the aftermath.
A Neighborhood Fixture Left With Broken Glass
The Deck on Fountainview operates daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and has built its identity around game-day crowds, with roughly 40 indoor tables and an outdoor patio anchored by a 97-inch television, per Dim Hour. The bar has several TVs both inside and out on its patio, and its menu leans on wings, burgers, and crawfish. The venue has long served as a watch-party spot for sports fans, including out-of-town alumni groups such as Oklahoma State University supporters, according to a 2014 account from Karyl’s Kulinary Krusade.
Despite the damage, the bar has remained open for business, a sign of the resilience small hospitality operators are often forced to show after a hit like this. The team’s decision to post the security footage and appeal directly to the public suggests investigators have not yet identified the two men caught on camera.
What Texas Law Says the Suspects Could Face
If identified and charged, the two men would likely face multiple state jail felony counts under Texas law. Entering a commercial building without consent to commit theft qualifies as Burglary of a Building under Texas Penal Code Section 30.02, a state jail felony punishable by 180 days to two years in a state jail facility and fines up to $10,000, according to FindLaw.
Separately, stealing more than $7,000 in inventory falls within the $2,500-to-$30,000 value bracket that elevates a theft charge to a state jail felony, per the Law Office of David D. White. And causing more than $10,000 in structural damage constitutes Criminal Mischief in that same $2,500-to-$30,000 range, also a state jail felony carrying up to two years in state jail and a $10,000 fine, according to the Murphy & McKinney Law Firm.
How Tips Could Help Crack the Case
Anyone with information on the identities of the two men can submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS, which offers cash rewards of up to $5,000 for tips that lead to the identification, charging, or arrest of felony suspects. The Houston Police Department investigates commercial break-ins like this one through its dedicated Burglary & Theft Division, which uses a Crime Analysis unit to track suspect patterns alongside an Alarm Detail that monitors commercial security systems, according to the City of Houston…