The Lawnmower Man
Crockett Resident Charged with Two Felonies
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT – With all the rain Houston County has experienced in the last several months, many area yards are out of control and need to be mowed. Sometimes, however, your lawnmower doesn’t work and you may need to borrow one.
What you don’t do is just randomly walk up to someone’s home and take their mower without their permission. A Crockett man appears to have found that out the hard way after he was arrested and charged with two felonies following the theft of a zero-turn, riding lawnmower on Wednesday, May 23.
Jeffry Eugene Williams, 33, from the Crockett/Latexo area was arrested on Wednesday, May 29 and charged with burglary of a habitation as well as unauthorized use of a vehicle, following a Crockett Police Department Facebook post requesting assistance in locating Williams.
Shortly after CPD’s Facebook post, the department received a tip about Williams’ whereabouts and he was taken into custody without incident.
The arrest of Williams stemmed the previously mentioned incident on May 23. According to an affidavit of probable cause, CPD Capt. Alfredo Fajardo responded to the 300 block of West Houston Avenue shortly before noon on May 23 in reference to the stolen lawnmower.
Once he arrived at the scene, he spoke with two individuals who witnessed the theft. The suspect was described as a short, bald-headed white male who wore his pants inside of his boots.
One of the witnesses further indicated the suspect tried to sell him a ladder but the witness told the suspect he didn’t want a ladder and asked him to leave.
“The male (Williams) walked off but came back and (the witness) watched as he went into the yard (of the residence where the lawnmower was stolen) to pet some of the dogs. The male walked off again and came back into the yard. The male then came out from the property riding away on the lawnmower,” the affidavit reported.
The second witness informed the police captain “… she saw the male riding the lawnmower off of her neighbor’s yard and then west on Houston Avenue. She said she saw the suspect walking in the area asking people for money on a regular basis, or possibly stealing.”
“About 45 minutes later, the mower was found abandoned in the brush on the side of West Houston Avenue next to Sallas Street. The mower was identified as a yellow and black Cub Cadet RZT-L,” the legal document stated.
Based on the information gathered at the scene and the description of the suspect, Fajardo surmised Williams was a likely suspect. The law enforcement official went to Williams’ residence located in the 900 block of Dodson Drive and spoke with Williams’ parents.
While Fajardo was speaking with Williams’ mother, Williams called. Fajardo spoke with Williams and asked to meet him at his residence. Several minutes later, Williams walked up the street.
“Williams was now wearing a green shirt, not a white shirt as described by the witnesses, but he still had his jeans tucked inside of his boots. It is probable that Williams knew we were looking for him and changed his clothes. Williams denied that he was involved in the lawnmower theft, but he refused to go with me voluntarily to meet with the witnesses to see if he was the suspect or not,” the affidavit stated.
Once he left Williams’ residence, Fajardo spoke to Assistant District Attorney Roger White. After presenting the facts and information about the case, a warrant was issued for Williams’ arrest. Williams, was taken into custody on Wednesday, May 29 and charged with burglary of a habitation and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
