Houston police officer drowns in Harvey floodwaters

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - A Houston police officer drowned in the floodwaters from Harvey.

Sgt. Steve Perez, 60, was on his way to work when he drove his patrol car into high water at I-45 and the Hardy Toll Road.

Chief Art Acevedo said he left for work at 4 a.m. on Sunday.

Sgt. Perez, a 34-year HPD veteran, drove around for more than two hours trying to get to his duty command station in downtown before calling in to give an update. He told report to the secondary station in Kingwood.

When he did not report for roll call, the chain of command knew a determined officer would have called to report his absence.

On Monday, authorities narrowed the search area to Beltway 8 and the Hardy Toll Road. They called on the Cajun Navy and the dive team for assistance.

Perez's body was found 8 a.m. Tuesday.

A tearful Chief Acevedo recounted the moment he told Perez's widow.

She told him the sergeant refused to stay home when she asked him to.

Acevedo asked her, "How do you think he would have wanted to go? Watching or doing what he had been doing for 34 years?"

"Sergeant Perez lost his life serving the people of Houston," said Mayor Sylvester Turner.

Perez is survived by his wife, son and daughter.