Harris County Sheriff's deputies said a Chevy Camaro t-boned a Mini Cooper at the intersection of McFarland Road and Airline Drive around 7:30 p.m. Thursday night.

Ambulances had to take the elderly woman in the Mini Cooper and her 3- and 5-year-old grandchildren to the hospital. At last check they were in critical condition.

Deputies say the kids were not in car seats at the time of the wreck.

Deputies also evaluated the driver of the Camaro, but they said that person did not appear to be drunk or on drugs.

Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the wreck.

HPD chief Troy Finner said that despite the allegations of sexual abuse, the Harris County District Attorney's Office declined to file charges against the man's mother, or anyone else involved, at least not yet.

Farias, who was then 17 years old, was reported missing by his mother, Janie Santana, on March 7, 2015.

Police found Farias a week ago Thursday, but they've since collected evidence that he was never missing and had actually returned home on March 8, 2015.

Lt. Christopher Zamora of the HPD Missing Persons Unit said that during the eight years that Santana reported her son missing, officers searched their home several times.

The duo had encounters with officers, but Zamora says they used fake names to continue the ruse that Farias was missing.

Chief Troy Finner said such an act could constitute making a false report to a police officer, a Class C Misdemeanor, but as of Thursday, neither Farias nor Santana will face any charges. But the investigation continues.

Local activist Quanell X alleges that more serious crimes took place.

He claims he spoke to Farias, now 25, who said that his mother wouldn't allow him to leave the home and sexually abused him during the years she reported him missing.

Finner said that HPD respects everyone in the community, including activists, and that he doesn't question Quanell X's integrity.

But Finner said his investigators did not find any evidence or receive any testimony about alleged sexual abuse.

“We’ve been open as much as we can,” Finner said as he ended the press conference. “This has become a local, national, and in some case, international (story). When it’s appropriate, we will send out more information.”

Isolated showers will be seen in the morning as a disturbance sits in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. This system will dump heavy rainfall over coastal regions south of Victoria, TX starting this morning, but not for areas of Houston until the afternoon.

1-2 inches of rainfall can be expected for localized communities that get caught under a hearty thunderstorm.

Later this week the HEAT IS ON! A stubborn high pressure looks to build overhead. This limits rainfall and ramps up our temps.

However, Houston police have announced that they will not charge Rudy Farias' mother on any sexual abuse charges, even though he told a community activist that he was abused.

HPD chief Troy Finner said at a press conference that the Harris County District Attorney's Office decided to not charge Rudy and his mother, Janine Santana, for several charges, including sexual abuse, giving false names and failing to give proper identification.

However, Finner said that the case is still under investigation. Right now, Rudy is back home with his mother, Finner said.

Both Rudy Farias and Santana were interviewed by Houston police at a hotel on Wednesday. Community activist Quanell X also said he interviewed Rudy Farias with HPD detectives.

After the interview, Quanell said Farias told them that he ran away in 2015 but returned two days later. Quanell added Farias told him his mother made Farias believe he’d be in trouble with police for running away, so he says he was forced to stay in hiding.

Quanell said Farias accused Santana of drugging and sexually assaulting him.

On Thursday, Finner said he respects Quanell, but said the investigation must maintain its integrity.

"We've been open as much as we can," Finner said as he ended the press conference. "This has become a local, national, and in some case, international (story). When it's appropriate, we will send out more information."

On Sunday, HPD said that Farias was found at a church, and was taken to a hospital.

Farias was 17 years old when he vanished on March 6, 2015, while walking his two dogs near Tidwell Road in north Houston. The dogs were later found, but Rudy disappeared.

According to Insider, several private investigators who looked into the case said that Farias' mother had lied to them over the years, and that HPD investigators weren't that interested in the case.

She is serving up a lot of top talkers! From a runner's wrong turn right before the finish line, to Las Vegas' new record-breaking MSG Sphere, and a ChatBot officiating a couples wedding!

Plus, with the highly anticipated release of the "Barbie" movie, KTLA's Scott Mantz is sitting down with the band behind the worldwide hit "Barbie Girl", Aqua!

We're also catching up with The Travel Mom and Tommy DiDario in Estes Park! She's also giving a trip away!

That and more is headed your way on Houston Happens.

ABOUT HOUSTON HAPPENS

CW39 host Maggie Flecknoe brings you “Houston Happens” every weekday morning at 9:30am on CW39 Houston.

‘Houston Happens’ is locally sponsored programming that gives you, our viewer, what you need to know about Houston, including what to look forward to. Plus, anything from money saving tips to beauty, the best products for your now, food, refreshing drinks, and motivational guests.

Deputies with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office believe the 21-year-old woman wasn’t wearing a seatbelt at the time as she rammed her car into her alleged boyfriend’s car at the 1900 block of Ellis School Road around 11 p.m. Wednesday night.

She was pronounced dead at the scene after she was ejected from the front window and her car rolled into a ditch.

Deputies believe this may have been a result of an argument the two were having prior to the incident.

The investigation is ongoing.

Brides Across America puts on Operation Wedding Gown in communities across the country, and Thursday it's happening at Impression Bridal just across the West Loop from the Galleria.

Brides who serve in the military, as first responders, and in health care treating COVID-19 patients will pay a $50 entry fee and then pick from select wedding gowns that they'll receive at no cost.

Advance registration is encouraged, and brides need to bring proof of their occupation when they arrive.

Operation Wedding Gown has been going on since 2008, and Brides Across America says they've fitted 28,000 women with free wedding dresses during that time.

Police are unclear on the circumstances surrounding the shooting, but say it happened in a home on the 2300 block of Brookmere Drive a little after midnight.

HPD officers say they have gotten conflicting statements from the 50-year-old woman and her father. But two handguns were found at the scene.

The victim, who is in his early 80s, was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.

The daughter has been detained for more questioning. The investigation is ongoing.

State. Rep. John Bryant, D-Dallas, led a small coalition of progressives on Thursday in supporting a new package of property tax relief measures that tops out larger than any other proposal yet.

His bill proposes $20.9 billion to provide homestead exemptions of up to $200,000, cash rebates to renters, permanent pay raises to teachers, and some cuts to school district tax rates.

"Texans pay the fifth highest property taxes in the nation, yet our state is 44th in its support for public education. Neither ranking is acceptable," Bryant said. "We believe a property tax relief plan should simultaneously address both."

A recap of the 9:30 a.m. news conference is available in the video player below.

Permanent public education funding increase

House Bill 62 increases the basic allotment for public schools by $1,000 and indexes it to inflation, creating a permanent increase every year. That would amount to a pay raise of $4,300 per year for teachers.

"We find ourselves in a fortunate position with the record surplus, and it is our duty to use this opportunity to provide relief to Texans burdened by property taxes," Rep. Christina Morales, D-Houston, said. "But let me be clear, our focus is on the people and families, not the corporations. We believe that giving money directly to those who need it the most."

Renter relief

The Democratic plan proposes the state use $3.8 billion to send renters a cash rebate of up to 10% of rent paid in the previous tax year. Lawmakers argued the Republican plans do nothing to help the 38% of Texas households who rent.

"We cannot ignore the fact that renters have been left out of this conversation since the very beginning," Morales said. "That is why we have been tirelessly fighting to include them. Renters deserve to receive their fair share of tax relief, especially as rents have skyrocketed in the past few years."

Higher homestead exemptions

The plan would grant homeowners an exemption of either $100,000 or 25% of their home's appraises value — whichever is higher, and capped at $200,000.

The Texas Senate is standing behind a proposal to increase the exemption to a standard $100,000 for all homesteads. Homeowners can currently exempt just $40,000 of their home's value from property taxes.

"This prevents the $100,000 exemption from evaporating rapidly due to the increase in home values," Bryant said.

Cutting school district tax rates

The plan would spend $4.11 billion to buy down the taxes that school districts charge for maintenance and operations expenses.

That's a strategy known as "compression." Essentially, the state would take on a greater share of local tax burdens and require that districts lower their tax rates accordingly. That is the strategy that the Texas House and Gov. Greg Abbott support exclusively. They back legislation that spends all of the $17.6 billion on compression, with a long-term goal of eliminating the maintenance and operations tax completely.

But Democrats argue that is unrealistic and unhelpful to renters and teachers.

"The comptroller has projected that that was going to cost about $60 billion over the next two years, once the property relief plans are put in place. $60 billion. Where are we going to get $60 billion?" State Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, said. "This is unrealistic, it's unsustainable, and [it] holds our schools hostage to what the state decides to do instead of their local communities."

It is not clear how this plan will fit into the longstanding proposals that have been on the table between the House and Senate. Rep. Bryant said they have not yet discussed their proposals with House leadership like Speaker Dade Phelan.

"We intend to do that immediately," he said.

There, they found two deceased French bulldogs and a third French bulldog that was emaciated outside on a second-story balcony. The fence surrounding the balcony was wrapped with a makeshift covering that blocked views from the parking lot.

Officials at the scene reported that there was no water on the patio. It was surrounded with wood shavings and empty bowls. The French bulldog was brought to the Houston SPCA for both veterinary and cruelty exams.

A few hours later, a Houston SPCA animal cruelty investigator along with Harris County Constable Precinct 1, rescued a 10-month-old dog that was wearing a tightly fitted muzzle. The dog was panting heavily on a second-story balcony of an apartment that was located near Forum Drive in southwest Houston. The dog was then taken to the Houston SPCA Medical Center for care.

Putting animals in these life-threatening conditions is animal cruelty and is considered a felony in Texas. It's punishable up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The Houston SPCA has managed more than two times the number of heat-related calls than last year.

In total, the Houston SPCA said that there were:

• 243 heat-related reports from June 1 through June 20 this year,
• 87 heat-related calls during the same time last year.

If you notice any signs of heat distress of a pet, please call 713-869-7722, online at HoustonSPCA.org or reach out to help the pet immediately if possible.