Two unlicensed care homes packed with bedridden residents were discovered in the 200 block of Spring Pines Drive on Saturday, July 25, after the Montgomery County Fire Marshal's Office responded to a complaint of unsafe living conditions.
Jeffrey Canales, identified as the operator of both homes, was arrested and charged with two counts of operating a nursing or personal care facility without a license, a Class A misdemeanor under Texas Health and Safety Code Section 247.0441. Neither home met fire and life safety requirements, and neither held a state license, according to an MCFMO statement published through Woodlands Online and authored by Jimmy Williams of the Fire Marshal's Office.
Canales is no stranger to fire marshals. In January 2026, he was the subject of an MCFMO investigation into a similar illegal care home at a different location, where he was issued a Fire Marshal's Order to correct safety violations and obtain a state license. According to the MCFMO, he did not comply.
Instead, investigators found him operating two more facilities on Spring Pines Drive.
The MCFMO conducted the investigation in partnership with the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office and Texas Health and Human Services. ABC13 reported on Aug. 7 that Canales is accused of operating three unlicensed facilities total, a count that appears to include the January location alongside the two Spring Pines Drive homes.
Conditions inside
Across Montgomery County's illegal care homes, investigators have found as many as 10 residents crammed into single rental houses, sometimes sleeping in converted lofts or garages. Residents are often bedridden or need help walking. Beyond fire and safety code violations, the MCFMO said complaints of financial fraud, neglect and abuse are common at these operations.
The agency described the homes as "hidden in plain sight," run out of ordinary rental houses in residential neighborhoods where they are difficult to identify without a complaint from a resident or family member.
A growing pattern
The Canales arrest follows a similar case in the City of Panorama Village, where a woman was charged after bedridden patients were found in a home with no fire safety protections, ABC13 reported on July 28.
The MCFMO attributed the rise in unlicensed care homes to Montgomery County's aging population and its proximity to the Houston metro area.
Under state law, a second conviction under Section 247.0441 escalates the charge to a third-degree felony. Because no prior conviction is confirmed in available records, the current charges remain misdemeanors.
How to check a care home's license
Spring-area families with relatives in care facilities can verify whether a home is properly licensed through the Texas HHS long-term care provider search tool.
Residents who suspect an unlicensed care home is operating in their neighborhood can contact the Montgomery County Fire Marshal's Office.
