Crockett PD Nabs Car Thief

By Will Johnson

Messenger Reporter

CROCKETT – An early morning arrest on Tuesday Oct. 25 by officers with the Crockett Police Department may help law enforcement officials clear numerous vehicle thefts and burglaries in and around the Crockett area.

According to information received from Crockett Police Chief David “Buddy” Cross, 20-year-old Cortez Xavier Foreman was arrested at approximately 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday after he was observed attempting to burglarize a vehicle.

A press release from Chief Cross stated Foreman “… was arrested at an apartment on George Briggs Street in Crockett. Foreman, who is originally from Crockett, was tracked to this location by detectives and officers with the Crockett Police Department. He had burglarized numerous vehicles on multiple streets on the east side of town near Gordon Dr., Cordell St., Easy St., E. Houston Ave. and the E. Goliad Ave. area late Monday night and early Tuesday morning.”

Chief Cross indicated Foreman had allegedly stolen a Subaru SUV at some point on Monday night and “… was using it to drive around as he burglarized other vehicles in the area.”

The vehicle was discovered near the intersection of San Jacinto St. and Gordon Dr. after Foreman had allegedly parked it there while attempting to burglarize other vehicles. Residents in the area observed Foreman attempting to break into a car and called the police.

“Officers who were already patrolling the area, due to past burglaries in the neighborhood, responded quickly and spotted the suspect and began a foot chase with the suspect. The suspect was able to escape and ran towards the West and ended up stealing another vehicle, a Ford F150, from the 200 block of Pecan St. in an effort to get away. The suspect drove the stolen truck to a location near W. Austin St. and Curtis St. where he abandoned the stolen truck from Pecan. He then went to an apartment on George Briggs St. where he was tracked and later arrested by police,” according to Chief Cross.

The police chief indicated Foreman had recently been released from a state jail facility and returned to Crockett in late September or early October. At approximately the same time Foreman was released, the number of thefts and burglaries of motor vehicles showed a dramatic increase.

Foreman was charged with third degree felony theft and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a state jail felony. While in custody, Foreman was served with three additional warrants for third degree felony theft.

The police chief further stated, “Foreman also has to have a GPS ankle monitor placed on him if he is able to make bond, due to his history of criminalities and the seriousness and vastness of these recent crimes. Foreman is believed to be responsible for numerous other burglaries of motor vehicles and two other car thefts from the past several weeks in the same general area. DNA and fingerprint evidence that were recovered from those cases will be sent to a lab with the known samples from Foreman and another suspect for comparison analysis and future charges could be filed when those results are returned.”

The Crockett Police Department would like to remind residents to lock their vehicles at night and keep all valuables inside their homes, not in their vehicles.  The Crockett PD is also urging area residents not to leave their keys in a vehicle because this makes that vehicle an easy target.

Chief Cross added, “We would like to thank the public for their help in this case as they did exactly what we asked them to do in an earlier press release and that was to keep an eye out for suspicious persons in the neighborhood, keep an eye on their neighbors, and call if anyone suspicious was spotted. We had beefed up patrols in the area and were able to get numerous officers out quickly who did a great job of collecting evidence and tracking the suspect to the apartment on George Briggs where he was hiding and was arrested.”

Foreman is still held at the Houston County Jail and his total bond has been set at $120,000.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].