If you thought Lone Star Throwdown was all polished paint jobs and towering lifts, the streets around Conroe last weekend told a different story. About 90 people were arrested around the three-day truck show as law enforcement moved in hard on post-show takeovers and reckless driving.
The event drew thousands of enthusiasts to the Lone Star Expo Center and the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, and organizers and officials praised the turnout even as officers zeroed in on the late-night chaos spilling into nearby roads.
Montgomery and Harris County agencies arrested 90 people, which is 31 more than during last year’s show, with narcotics and driving-while-intoxicated cases among the largest categories. No fatalities were reported, according to the Houston Chronicle. Officials said charges ran the gamut from racing and reckless driving to weapons offenses and resisting arrest.
Operation Zero Traction And Why It Returned
The crackdown unfolded under Operation Zero Traction, a multi-agency task force Sheriff Wesley Doolittle launched last year to go after dangerous after-hours activity tied to the show. FOX 26 Houston reported that more than 100 officers from county, state and city agencies were deployed, and that drivers were warned in advance that anyone staging street takeovers or racing would be looking at stiff penalties…