PORT NECHES, Texas — With the help of a drone, K9 unit and neighboring police department, Port Neches Police were able to arrest a suspect accused of stealing AT&T cable telephone cables.
Officers responded to the area of Williamsburg and Industrial on Monday, March 28, 2023 after receiving a call about suspicious activity. As police approached, an officer saw a vehicle with no lights speeding away from the area.
As the officer tried to stop the vehicle, a passenger inside got out and fled on foot, according to a Port Neches Police Department release.
The driver was taken into custody. Both suspects were determined to be Orange County natives.
Police tell 12News, bolt cutters and wire saws are just some of the tools the suspects used to cut down the copper phone lines.
With the help of the Nederland Police Department, officers set up a perimeter in the area. Another Port Neches officer arrived at the scene, deployed the department drone and was able to find the second suspect.
Once it was in the air, the drone led police to the suspect in less than 15 minutes
A sergeant deployed a K9, and officers were able to take the second suspect into custody without incident, according to the release.
"Scanning the area when we were looking for the suspect, we knew that one suspect ran one direction, but people try to outsmart us and he went the other direction. Well, we found him in that other direction a few hundred yards away," Drone Operator Andrew Carter said.
The Port Neches Police Department has had this drone for a year and Officer Carter is the only certified drone operator.
He says the drone is used for any type of call that would warrant a large police presence and to help catch people running away from police.
The drone's aerial video and thermal imaging is what gives police a big advantage.
But even with the use of drones, they still need boots on the ground to help nab the suspects.
Port Neches Police Captain Jesse Fournet assisted with the take down Monday night and says once the suspect was in custody, they found more evidence.
"The tools that were used to cut the wire from the poles. We found some wire and one of the suspects did have a gun on him, in a bag that he ditched when he ran," Fournet said.
In the future, the Port Neches Police department hopes to use the drone for more situations.
"Search and rescue if someone were to get out, say with Alzheimer's they walk around the neighborhoods and they get in between houses, which happens with that thermal imagery, you're actually able to see it. You just can't hide from it," Carter said.
Carter says if someone were to fall in the water, the drone would allow operators to see them even if it was late at night.
The department is grateful for this high-tech tool.
"With technology pretty much ruling the world, it helps us in every way possible," Fournet said.
Both suspects were taken to the Jefferson County Jail, and their names have not been released.
The driver is charged with "theft aluminum/bronze/copper/brass," and the passenger is charged with "theft aluminum/bronze/copper/brass" and evading, according to the release.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information