BEAUMONT, Texas — Beaumont Police arrested a man after staking out a hike and bike trail that had been targeted in recent 'smash and grab' robberies.
Officers were conducting surveillance at the Folsom Hike and Bike Trail, near North Major and Folsom Drive after numerous auto burglaries when they saw a man who matched the description of a suspect in an earlier robbery at the same location around 11:45 a.m. Saturday, March 16.
In the other robbery, a car parked at the hike and bike trail was broken into and the victim's credit cards were used at a store, Officer Haley Morrow said in a news release.
Officers watched as the man who looked like the suspect started canvassing the parking lot and looking in car windows at the Folsom Hike and Bike Trail. His vehicle also matched last week's auto burglaries and video surveillance footage, Morrow said.
Then the suspect got back into his vehicle and turned left out of the parking lot, traveling west on Folsom Drive, Morrow said. Beaumont Police officers pulled him over for a traffic stop.
Beaumont Police found several pieces of evidence linking the man to the other burglaries, including merchandise purchased with stolen credit cards.
Jarvis Hurst, 26, of Missouri City, Texas, was arrested for two traffic violations and three counts of credit card abuse. He was taken to the Jefferson County Jail. Additional charges are pending and the investigation is ongoing, Morrow said.
"The Beaumont Police Department would like to remind our community to remove valuables from your vehicles, especially firearms, take your keys and lock your doors!" Morrow said. "Furthermore, we would like to assure our community that we are actively monitoring areas that have seen an increase in auto burglaries."
