Houston police on Tuesday confirmed that Sgt. Steve Perez died of drowning after he had attempted to drive to work in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
Mr. Perez, a 34-year department veteran, drove for about two-and-a-half hours early Sunday morning looking for a safe route to work, but ultimately got stuck and drowned, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said at a news conference.
“Steve wasn’t just taken from the Houston police department. He wasn’t just taken from the city of Houston. He was taken from the people of Houston,” Mr. Acevedo said.
After an extensive search, the body of Mr. Perez, 60, was recovered on Tuesday morning.
Mr. Acevedo said Mr. Perez’s wife and father-in-law both told him not to go to work.
“And his response was, ’we’ve got work to do,’” he said. “He spent close to two-and-a-half hours because he has that in his DNA.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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