A man wanted in the thefts of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property from Webster and other counties has been arrested in Texas.
The Sulphur Springs (Texas) News-Telegram reported that Moses Jerome McLaurin was arrested in the early hours of July 7 during a theft in progress at a trailer park in Sulphur Springs.
The newspaper said officers with the Sulphur Springs Police Department and Hopkins County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office found a gate standing open and a side-by-side left running just inside the fence. Deputies deployed a K9 unit to locate the subject involved and found a man lying in some bushes on the property.
He attempted to flee and a stun gun was used to take him into custody, according to the police report sent to the News-Telegram.
During further investigation, a U-Haul truck was located nearby with ATV ramps leading to the back lift gate, along with two other sets of ramps, a drill, crowbar, bolt cutters and other tools in the back of the truck, the newspaper said. Authorities allege the man was found to have the key for the truck in his possession and was arrested.
He was later identified as McLaurin, 39, of Morton, Miss., in Scott County. McLaurin is awaiting extradition to Mississippi.
While searching a vehicle associated with McLaurin, the newspaper said officers reported they located a substance believed to be cocaine.
McLaurin faces charges there of theft of property valued at greater than or equal to $2,500 but less than $30,000, evading arrest or detention, possession of a controlled substance, failure to identify, tampering with physical evidence, possession of stolen property, and a parole violation and larceny out of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
As the Progress-Times previously reported, narcotics agents with the Scott County Sheriff’s Office tried to arrest McLaurin on March 11 on a felony warrant for grand larceny. He fled on foot and a K-9 search ensued, but McLaurin was not apprehended until his arrest in Texas.
The SCSO stated that during a search of the property in Morton, stolen goods valued at around $300,000 were located inside the residence and an adjacent shop.
Some of the items were verified as stolen from Webster and six other counties.
Webster County Sheriff David Gore said afterwards that he went to Scott County on March 15 and recovered items stolen from Webster.
As of Monday, the sheriff said McLaurin is facing one grand larceny charge here and additional charges are possible. Gore said he charged in connection with the theft of $15,000 to $20,000 worth of tools and heavy machinery from a home on the north end of Stallings Road.
The Webster County Sheriff’s Department previously reported that a Kubota diesel mower, 14-foot tandem axle trailer, battery charges, three firearms and some home items were taken Jan. 18 on Stallings Road.
