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Sometime being alert can certainly help quickly solve criminal cases. Here is such a case.
Here is the Press Release from the Texarkana Texas Police Department:
A little after 3:00 this morning, a man got home from work and noticed a couple of guys out by his neighbors’ house on Wyatt Lane. When he shined his flashlight at them, they both took off running and jumped into a white car that was driving through the neighborhood with their headlights off. The car sped off toward Moores Lane as he was calling 911.
Officer Casey Schmidt was on Summerhill Road when the call came out and immediately met a white car coming from that direction, so he tried to get behind it when they turned onto St. Michael Drive. By the time that Schmidt turned that same corner, he saw that the white car was already a long way down the road and speeding up quickly. He managed to catch up with it as it was getting on Interstate 30 and could now see that the license plate on the car matched what the witness gave the dispatcher when he called 911. The car immediately pulled over when Officer Schmidt turned on his emergency lights.
When he walked up to the car, he talked to Devontaye Hayes (18), Brandon Gilliam (17), and Tyrin Gibson (17). They explained that they were all from Little Rock and on their way to Dallas for court dates. Officers Dustin Johnson and Micah Miller arrived soon after to assist him. Inside the car, they found wallets, a purse, money, receipts, a drivers license, vehicle keys, and bottles of cologne that officers were able tie back to several addresses in the Pleasant Grove area. While they were still on the traffic stop, other officers went to those houses and woke up the people there to see if any of their vehicles had been broken into. Sure enough, they had. As the victims listed off the things missing from their vehicles, those same items were found inside the men’s car. So far, we know that they broke into at least five different vehicles in the area. We found some more items inside their car that we believe was likely stolen too but haven’t yet been able to figure out who it belongs to.All three men were arrested and charged with Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, a felony. They were booked into the Bi-State Jail and are sitting there waiting on their bond to be set by a judge.
We want to say “great job” to Officer Schmidt and send out a HUGE word of thanks to the man who called 911. Given that they were only passing through Texarkana, there’s a pretty good chance that none of these vehicle burglaries could have ever been solved. By him immediately picking up his phone and calling us, it made all the difference in the world. Thank you!!!