Several local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are investigating a string of tractor-trailer break-ins and thefts of cargo in eastern Arkansas, including the mid-January theft of 102 firearms from an 18-wheeler parked alongside Interstate 55 in Mississippi County, court records show.
Since late December, more than 80 tractor-trailers have been broken into in Crittenden, Mississippi and St. Francis counties, with at least 15 thefts occurring, according to court records. The break-ins and thefts have occurred along a stretch of I-55 from West Memphis to north of Turrell and a stretch along Interstate 40 between Forrest City and West Memphis.
Authorities have arrested one person in connection with the break-ins and thefts.
On Feb. 10, authorities arrested Curtis Earl Evans, 40, of Memphis, at a roadside parking area along I-55 in Turrell and charged him with theft of goods from an interstate carrier shipment affecting interstate or foreign commerce, according to a criminal complaint filed Feb. 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
The complaint states that an investigation into a series of "seemingly related thefts" is being conducted by the sheriff's offices in Crittenden, Mississippi and St. Francis counties and other law enforcement agencies within those counties, along with the assistance of the Arkansas State Police, the Little Rock office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Memphis Cargo Theft Task Force.
"There is a continuing investigation involving a multiagency task force," state police spokesman Bill Sadler confirmed.
The break-ins and thefts started in late December and continued through Feb. 8, according to the complaint. The thieves, who are believed to be operating out of the Memphis area, target trucks parked overnight at roadside parking areas and truck stops while drivers are sleeping. They break into the trailers, examine the cargo and then decide whether to steal the items or leave them untouched.
The stolen goods include products from Tyson Foods, items from a Jennie-O Turkey truck, 15 Mongoose bikes, chocolate delight cakes, a number of Apple MacBooks from a UPS truck and approximately 65 Goodyear Wrangler tires.
Five of the MacBooks were recovered in the Memphis area, the complaint states.
The tractor-trailer carrying the firearms -- mainly handguns, some manufactured by Sturm, Ruger and Co. -- was bound for Gander Mountain retail stores in the Houston area, the complaint states. The rig was parked at a roadside parking area near mile marker 35 on I-55 southbound in Mississippi County when the guns were stolen on or about Jan. 11.
Three handguns from the theft have been recovered in the Memphis area, authorities said.
The Memphis office of the ATF "has been actively involved in identifying the sources of the three firearms recovered there and that investigation is ongoing," the complaint states.
During a break-in and theft in St. Francis County, a vehicle thought to be used by the thieves and later found to have been stolen in Memphis got stuck, according to the complaint. The thieves are then believed to have stolen a service truck from a nearby service station. They used the service truck to free their vehicle and also stole the service truck, which was equipped with a GPS unit that showed the vehicle was driven back to the Memphis area, where it was later found.
Authorities said that in the early morning hours of Feb. 10, more tractor-trailers were broken into and an unknown quantity of cases of Kool-Aid Jammers was stolen from a trailer parked at the mile marker 35 roadside parking area on I-55.
Evans was arrested later that morning after two men were seen by an officer breaking into trailers at a roadside parking area along I-55 in Turrell, the complaint states. The officer called for backup. The two men fled through a grassy field. Authorities surrounded the field and arrested one man, Evans.
Authorities at the scene saw a vehicle parked on the edge of a field beside the roadway and noticed cases of Kool-Aid products in the vehicle, according to the complaint. A check found the vehicle was registered to Evans. During an interview, Evans admitted to breaking into trucks that morning and stealing the Kool-Aid.
Making an initial appearance Feb. 11, Evans waived his right to a preliminary examination and detention hearing, but he reserved his right to request a hearing at a later date.
Evans had been held at the Pulaski County jail until late last week with no bail set, but he was no longer on the jail roster Sunday night.
The slew of break-ins and thefts also caught the attention of FreightWatch International, an Austin, Texas-based logistics security services company, which released a "security news" release Feb. 13, noting that drivers traveling through the eastern Arkansas area "should be extra vigilant and immediately report any suspicious observations to the police and their dispatch."
The release states that if stops in the area are unavoidable, drivers should "back their trailer against a solid structure to impede tampering with seals or trailer doors."
Fueling his rig at the Petro off I-40 in North Little Rock on Friday afternoon, truck driver Jim Artman of Detroit said he takes precautions to make his trailer as secure as possible when he stops, because "everything you haul you have a responsibility for."
"Securing your trailer, that's about all you can do," he said.
Standing beside his rig at the same truck stop, driver Eric Nix of Tulsa said he wasn't surprised by news of the break-ins and thefts in that area.
"There's not much you can do but make sure that your truck is secure and the trailer is locked," he said. "I know some people use locks the size of a hand, nothing but steel. But people can get through locks, with a hammer or crowbar. Whatever they use on the lock they can use on you, on your head."
Information for this article was contributed by Chad Day and Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Metro on 02/23/2015