Staff report

A 41-year-old transient man was arrested Wednesday in Beaumont in connection with the theft of law enforcement gear and an off-road vehicle.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said in an issued statement that Robert Joseph Alderson, no address, was accused in an early morning burglary at a rural, western Jefferson County address on South China Road by entering the victim’s truck. There, he took items that included a .45 mm handgun, a ballistic vest and a Harris County law enforcement agency badge.

Alderson is also accused of stealing a 2014 Polaris Range, an off-road vehicle.

“People in extremely rural areas feel more secure,” said Jefferson County Sheriff’s Capt. Crystal Holmes, the agency’s public information officer.

“But people are out there day and night, shaking door handles. You’re not safe anywhere from crime.”

An image believed to be Alderson’s was captured on a home security video, posted to Facebook and provided to deputies. At around 10:30 a.m., a Sheriff’s Office fugitive warrant deputy saw the suspect, who was not cooperative, at the intersection of East Lucas and Pittsburgh and detained him.

The deputy recovered the gun and badge among other items from the suspect’s backpack, according to an issued statement. Officers are still trying to recover the ballistic vest and the vehicle.

Alderson was charged with burglary of a vehicle, theft of a firearm and theft of property. He was taken to Jefferson County Correctional Facility but was not listed on the roster Wednesday afternoon.

Deputies ask that if you have any information as to the location of the missing items, call JCSO Dispatch at 409-835-8411 or Crime Stoppers at 409-833-8477.