Roland Zepeda Jr. is a Houston-area man who drew national attention in 2016 after he and his cousin Edward Gonzalez set up a child’s basketball hoop on an Interstate 45 feeder road, filmed themselves playing a game while traffic backed up around them, and posted the video online. He was convicted of obstructing a highway and sentenced to 45 days in jail, and the publicity that followed the video led to additional charges, including a felony theft case in Pasadena and an outstanding felony DWI warrant out of Travis County.
The I-45 Basketball Video
On May 31, 2016, Zepeda and Gonzalez put a plastic hoop on the feeder road of I-45 near Broadway in southeast Houston and played basketball as cars piled up around them.1Houston Chronicle. Prankster Pleads Guilty to Traffic-Stopping Basketball Stunt It was actually the second take. On the first attempt, a vehicle ran over the hoop and dragged it down the road.2ABC13 Houston. Game of Street Hoops on Busy Houston Roadway
The clip went up on an Instagram account the cousins ran under the handle @MyHouseIsDirty and spread quickly. Within days, Houston Police had identified both men from the footage and issued arrest warrants charging each with obstruction of a highway or passageway, a misdemeanor. Zepeda was unrepentant. In a FaceTime interview with KTRK-TV he said, “I don’t think it’s okay, but I think it’s funny,” and added, “We just want to entertain people… We’re not here to hurt nobody.”3ABC13 Houston. Warrant Out for Men Who Played Hoops on Houston Street
The @MyHouseIsDirty Prank Videos
The basketball stunt was not a one-off. The @MyHouseIsDirty account carried hundreds of prank clips.2ABC13 Houston. Game of Street Hoops on Busy Houston Roadway Some crossed into physical contact with strangers. In one video, the pair walked up to shoppers at a Randall’s grocery store and jabbed Q-tips at their ears. One of those shoppers, Luke Wrobel, told reporters the encounter felt like an attack and that he would have sued had he known who the two men were at the time.4ABC13 Houston. Local Street Basketballers Post Arrest on Instagram Other clips showed the cousins riding a bicycle down Highway 610 while doing cartwheels and pouring drinks on the roadway.
Felony Theft and DWI Charges
News coverage of the freeway video did more than embarrass Zepeda. A Pasadena resident recognized him from the reporting and identified him as the person who had stolen two GoPro cameras, valued at about $600, from their home. Pasadena Police charged him with felony theft.5Houston Chronicle. I-45 Basketball Prankster Charged in Theft Case On June 27, 2016, a judge denied him bail on that charge, noting it was his third theft charge and second theft conviction.6ABC13 Houston. Bail Denied for Man Accused of Stopping Traffic to Play Hoops He also had an outstanding Travis County warrant for felony DWI as a second offense.
Reporting at the time noted that Zepeda and Gonzalez had each been arrested numerous times before the video, and in a social media post around the time of his arrest Zepeda said he had been “on the run for two years” from earlier matters he did not specify.4ABC13 Houston. Local Street Basketballers Post Arrest on Instagram The available reporting does not show a final disposition for the felony theft or the DWI matter.
Conviction for the Freeway Stunt
Zepeda was ultimately convicted of obstructing a highway for the basketball video and sentenced to 45 days in jail.7Click2Houston. Man Duct-Taped to Sign Near Channelview After He Apparently Lost a Bet
The 2017 Duct-Tape Incident
Zepeda was back in the news less than a year later. On March 29, 2017, Harris County Precinct 3 authorities got a call about someone taped to a road sign near Channelview, east of Houston. When deputies arrived at Wallisville Road and Beltway 8, they found 17-year-old Miguel Chavez wrapped in duct tape and suspended from a yield-sign pole. Zepeda and another person had taped Chavez to the pole, reportedly over a lost bet, and pulled away the stool he had been standing on, leaving him hanging for about 30 minutes. Bystanders were already getting Chavez down when authorities got there, and no arrests were made in connection with the incident.7Click2Houston. Man Duct-Taped to Sign Near Channelview After He Apparently Lost a Bet