HOUSTON – Investigators are asking for help finding the man once known as Houston’s “serial pooper” after they say he committed increasingly dangerous crimes in the Heights area.

Jesse Hernandez, 56, has been arrested 25 times in Harris County since 1981 on charges including theft, trespassing, drug possession, burglary, evading arrest, arson and drunken driving.

Earlier this month, surveillance cameras appeared to catch Hernandez breaking into several cars in the Heights. Two miles away, other cameras appeared to catch him breaking into a home.

“The first offense really was traumatizing,” said Jan Greer, whose camera near her back door caught Hernandez approaching with bolt cutters before turning away.

Two years later, Hernandez returned when the Greers were out of town, and stole several items including bikes and lawn equipment.

“We actually tracked his progress via multiple cameras down the street,” Greer said. “We were pretty frustrated because it’s the same guy!”

Hernandez stands about 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighs 170 pounds and has black hair. In most of his mugshots, and in the surveillance footage from the 2014 “serial pooper” incidents and more recent break-ins, Hernandez has a mustache.

“The key here is the video played such an important role in identifying who the suspect was,” Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen said. “We always love when the public gets involved.”

Rosen said Hernandez may be homeless and appears to be very familiar with the Heights. He may need mental health treatment, Rosen added.

Greer said knowing your neighbors is critical to keeping communities safe. In the Heights, many residents use the NextDoor App and other social media to keep each other informed, and they communicate with law enforcement regularly, Greer said.

Hernandez is suspected of going to the bathroom in residents' front yards as recently as this month, Greer added. He usually leaves behind his own toilet paper.