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February 1, 2012

Alert citizen helps nab storm drain cover thieves in Port Neches

Mary Meaux The Port Arthur News

PORT NECHES — An alert citizen in Port Neches helped police catch three men who reportedly were stealing storm drain covers on Thursday.

Officers with the Port Neches Police Department were dispatched to the 1900 block of 12th Street at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31 in reference to the theft of storm drain covers. An alert citizen observed a light gray sedan stop in the area and then heard a loud noise, said Port Neches Police Chief Paul Lemoine.

The man told police he saw two males removing the cast iron covers from his neighbor’s storm drains then place the grates in the trunk of their car and leave the area. The witness then called the police and gave them the suspect’s description and the vehicle description.

Officer Cheri’ Visser observed a vehicle in the 1300 block of Eugene Avenue that matched the suspect vehicle description and, after stopping the vehicle, she was able to recover four cast iron storm grates, valued at approximately $230, from inside the trunk.

Three suspects were subsequently arrested and transported to the Jefferson County Jail.

All three suspects were in their 20s. One listed an address in Port Acres and the other two were from Louisiana.  

“Kudos to the alert neighbor who called us in a timely manner,” Lemoine said.

The arrests come days after a Port Arthur News story regarding stolen drainage grates and manholes. The grates, made of cast iron, are likely sold for scrap iron in larger cities.

Lemoine said the city of Port Neches has not had a problem with the theft of the grates. The department will contact police in Port Arthur and Beaumont with information about the Port Neches arrests.

mmeaux@panews.com

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