Harris County deputies seek suspect in park indecent exposure cases

Harris County Precinct 5 deputies were searching for David Schumaker, 36, after a woman reported seeing a man exposing himself along a walking trail at Mike Driscoll Park, a neighborhood park off West Houston Center Blvd. that draws walkers, joggers and families to its mile-long trail, picnic tables and playground.

Investigators said the case did not appear to stop with a single complaint. Detectives later obtained a warrant charging Schumaker with indecent exposure with one prior conviction, and they said there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward.

The park sits at 13534 West Houston Center Blvd. in Houston and is posted open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Because the reported incident happened in a place used for routine recreation, deputies increased patrols and placed the area under special watch while they worked to identify the suspect and determine whether other visitors had similar encounters.

Precinct 5 says its patrol division includes more than 300 deputies, and the office uses both an online crime tips form and a special watch request form for neighborhoods that need extra attention. That matters here because investigators are trying to build a fuller picture of the suspect’s movements and contact with park users, not just close out one complaint.

Under Texas Penal Code Section 21.08, indecent exposure is generally a Class B misdemeanor, and a prior conviction can make the case more serious. In this case, the warrant alleging indecent exposure with one prior conviction raised the stakes for a park setting where parents, children and daily trail users expect a basic level of safety.

The public-safety concern is now broader than one afternoon in April. Deputies are asking anyone who had a similar encounter at Mike Driscoll Park to come forward, a step that could help determine whether the reported conduct was isolated or part of a pattern at one of east Houston’s most familiar neighborhood parks.