Photo: Prerak Dhoot / 500px
Residents of Galveston County are once again beginning to get nervous as the infamous "Galveston Jeep Weekend" kicks off starting today on Bolivar Peninsula's Crystal Beach. This unsanctioned event has been a top focus for authorities for months.
That's due primarily to the event's reputation as a magnet for all manner of criminal activity, up to and including murder. Last year, over 100 arrests were made during the event, on top of one person being killed.
A Bolivar resident spoke with our TV partner, Channel 2, about the event, saying, "There's been one killing and a couple of shootings last year." He went on to say that one of those shootings occurred just one street away from him.
Galveston County authorities, including Sheriff Jimmy Fullen, have made cracking down on the lawlessness their top priority. Fullen has previously spoken to KTRH about his plans for the event, telling us he expects a massive surge of law enforcement on Crystal Beach.
They're also taking steps to control the flow of traffic on the beach and limit parking, something that another resident told Channel 2 was a major problem, saying, "It gets wild. Everybody tearing up the beach and cutting donuts. It's dangerous when they start doing all that with the beach packed out."
The changes being made seem to be going over well with the residents of Bolivar, with some even offering up their homes to house law enforcement during the event. One resident said, "I'm all for it. They need to do something to shut down the crime and the violence that they have going on down here. That's just not normal for society."