Search for third robbery suspect underway
Published 2:59 pm Friday, August 18, 2017
Law enforcement continues their search for the third suspect in Thursday’s armed robbery of Valero on Twin City Highway at Spurlock.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy Marcus McLellan said they are still actively investigating the case.
Deputies responded to the burglary in process call around 6 p.m. A citizen witnessed the incident and was able to follow the suspect vehicle. The store clerk was able to give a good suspect vehicle description and it was broadcast ad deputies coming up Spurlock saw the suspect vehicle quickly turning onto Central, according to a press release from JSCO Capt. Crystal Holmes.
When deputies caught up to the suspect vehicle and activated their emergency lights, three black males jumped out of the rolling vehicle, which went through a residential yard and came to a stop up against a fence. The suspects ran in between houses and over to the canal.
Deputies were able to take one suspect, a 16-year-old from Beaumont, into custody immediately, but lost sight of the other two as they ran in between some houses after crossing over Spurlock.
A perimeter was set and a search was conducted. Deputies found another suspect, a 19-year-old Beaumont man, hiding under a nearby house on Spurlock. He was arrested and after questioning, booked into the Jefferson County Jail for aggravated robbery.
Later, deputies found another possible suspect walking near the intersection of 18th and Spurlock. He was dirty and had some minor injuries. He was identified and questioned and later released.
An arrest could be forthcoming pending eye-witness statements and additional evidence. The suspect vehicle, which was reported stolen in Beaumont on
Aug. 15 was towed and it will be searched pending a signed search warrant.
“We would like to commend the citizens in that area for their quick thinking and kindness during this investigation,” Holmes said in the press release. “It was very hot and the cold water was very much appreciated.”
The robbery occurred just outside of Nederland city limits and in the JSCO jurisdiction. Nederland Police Department assisted the sheriff’s office by setting up a perimeter in areas near the high school, Canal Avenue and off Fairbanks Street, Nederland Police Chief Darrell Bush said.