Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said on Wednesday afternoon that HCSO's Boarding Home Detail was conducting a compliance check at the home on Lynngate Drive. The sheriff added that a boarding home believed to be operating illegally was found.
According to HCSO investigator Greg Lowry, authorities were initially referred to the home by Adult Protective Services on reports of elderly abuse. When they arrived, HCSO deputies found four clients were living in the boarding home.
Lowry added that one of the men living there had injuries "consistent with belt marks, that he had been whipped." Witnesses said the 64-year-old man was assaulted by a caretaker, according to Lowry.
According to Lowry, the victim was interviewed by detectives before being rehoused by HCSO and APS officials.
Authorities said they are also investigating possible exploitation, adding that over $20,000 may have been taken from another client in the boarding home.
Investigators said when they were called to the scene, they found a woman who was a known boarding home operator who had previously been shut down in November 2025. According to officials, the location of the boarding home was then transferred, but was never permitted.
Lowry added that the boarding home operator was cited in the past for operating a home illegally.
"This location was closed; it was transferred, but it never was permitted. So, she's been cited in the past for operating an illegal boarding home and given the opportunity to rehouse the other clients, which obviously she did not do," said Lowry.
Some of the clients in this home came from a hospital, Lowry said, adding that it is illegal for a hospital to discharge patients to an illegal boarding home.
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According to HCSO, approximately 60 illegal boarding homes were shut down in 2025 throughout Harris County. Officials added that there are about 160 permitted homes in the county.
Authorities said criminal charges are still under investigation. According to HCSO, operating a boarding home illegally is a class B misdemeanor.
Lowry told ABC13 that illegal boarding homes are starting to become an issue across Harris County.
"It's definitely a problem with big business and all the hospitals that are here in the Houston area, the mental health facilities, so it's definitely a problem. It's something I think we do pretty well, the City of Houston does well, and I think other counties nearby are starting to do too," Lowry said.
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