Bedridden residents who could not feed, bathe or move themselves were living in two unlicensed care homes on Spring Pines Drive with no fire sprinklers, no fire alarm and no fire extinguisher, Montgomery County investigators say.
Jeffrey Canales was arrested and charged with two counts of operating a personal care facility without a license after the Montgomery County Fire Marshal's Office responded to a complaint on July 25 in the 200 block of Spring Pines Drive in southern Montgomery County. He was booked on a $2,000 bond.
Canales is the second operator arrested since late July in what the MCFMO describes as a countywide crackdown on illegal care homes hidden in residential neighborhoods. As we reported July 31, Jennifer Yvonne Rios was charged with running an unlicensed facility in Panorama Village after bedridden patients were found in a home without fire safety systems.
A repeat offender
Canales was not a first-time violator. In January 2026, the Fire Marshal's Office investigated him for running a similar unlicensed home on Oakhurst Drive and issued an order requiring him to correct safety violations and obtain a state license, according to KPRC 2. He was given five business days to relocate residents and document their new placements.
He ignored that order.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Canales told investigators he operated both Spring Pines Drive homes and employed caregivers providing 24-hour care. He acknowledged knowing the county's permitting requirements and said he had previously obtained proper permits for his Oakhurst Drive facility but chose not to seek them for the Spring Pines homes.
Financial exploitation alleged
Court records describe more than safety violations. One resident who had previously lived at Canales's Oakhurst Drive home told investigators he had taken all the money from her money market account, leaving her with $442. She also said Canales withdrew money from her checking account without permission.
The MCFMO said investigators across the county have found as many as 10 residents in some rental homes, sometimes sleeping in converted lofts and garages. In addition to fire code violations, the office said it frequently encounters complaints of financial fraud, neglect and abuse at these operations.
Why it keeps happening
The cost gap between licensed and unlicensed care drives demand. Licensed assisted living facilities in the area charge nearly $5,000 a month, according to family members interviewed by ABC13 about the Panorama Village case. Unlicensed operators have charged as little as $2,000.
A neighbor on Spring Pines Drive told KPRC 2 the homes looked like ordinary home-care operations. "I've been here for almost two years and I just assumed that there were two houses that did home care," the neighbor said. "Because you would see the nurses coming in different shifts and walking in between the two houses during the shifts throughout the day."
The MCFMO, which built the Canales case with the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office and Texas Health and Human Services, said Montgomery County's aging population and proximity to the Houston metro area have fueled the growth of unlicensed facilities in recent years. Jimmy Williams of the Montgomery County Fire Marshal's Office said the agency is committed to working with state and local partners to protect senior and disabled residents.
The Fire Marshal's Office ordered Canales to relocate all residents to properly permitted facilities and provide documentation confirming each placement. Residents and family members can verify whether a care home is licensed through the Texas Health and Human Services provider search.
