BEAUMONT, Texas — An 18-year-old Beaumont man has been charged with illegally having fully automatic weapons after deputies say he was involved in the theft of guns from two Jefferson County Sheriff's Office "take home" vehicles and had a modified Glock handgun at his home.
Bryce Thomas, 18, of Beaumont, was arrested Wednesday evening Feb, 7, 2024, on a charge of possessing prohibited weapons. The charge is a 3rd degree felony.
He was taken to the Jefferson County Correctional Facility where he is being held on a $50,000 bond according to jail records.
Detectives believe that Thomas was involved in the theft of two fully automatic and a semi automatic rifle from Jefferson County Sheriff's Office vehicles parked at the residences of two deputies according to a probable cause affidavit.
On Jan. 8, 2024, an unmarked "take home" vehicle used by a deputy in the warrant division was broken into outside the deputy's home in Beaumont according to the affidavit.
A semi-automatic AR-15 rifle and a ballistic vest personally owned by the deputy were taken from the unmarked vehicle.
On Jan. 30, 2024, a marked "take home" Jefferson County Sheriff's Office patrol vehicle was broken into outside a deputy's North Major Dr apartment according to the affidavit.
Two fully automatic Colt M-16-A2 rifles owned by the county were taken from the marked patrol unit as well as tactical gear including a ballistic vest, a Kevlar helmet, night vision equipment and other items.
Deputies investigating the Jan 8, 2024, burglary of the unmarked Jefferson County vehicle worked with Beaumont Police Auto Theft Task Force and identified Thomas as a possible suspect in that burglary the affidavit said.
A surveillance camera was then set up in Thomas' neighborhood according to the affidavit.
Investigators were later told about the Jan. 30, 2024 burglary of the marked patrol unit and another vehicle burglary where a shotgun was stolen.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated a shotgun had been stolen from a Beaumont Police unit.)
When they reviewed surveillance video they saw two people, one carrying what appeared to be a rifle or shotgun, walking down Thomas' street and into his home the affidavit said.
Investigators then got a warrant to search Thomas' home and found one of the fully-automatic M-16 rifles stolen in the Jan 30 burglary according to the affidavit.
They also found the deputy's ballistic vests from both the Jan 8 and Jan 30, 2024 burglaries.
During the search of Thomas' home they also found a Glock handgun that had been converted to fire fully automatic using an attachment on the back of the gun's slide.
When detectives test fired the Glock they found that it fired continuously while the trigger was pressed.
There is no mention in the affidavit on the whereabouts of the other fully automatic rifle stolen on Jan, 30, 2024.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
GET NEWS & WEATHER ALERTS | Download the 12News App to your mobile device
CRIME STOPPERS | Submit a tip @ 833Tips.com
CRIME STOPPERS APP | Download the P3 Tips App
If you have information about a crime you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas.
Call 833-TIPS (8477) or download the P3Tips App on your mobile device to submit your tip anonymously.