Taking the Phrase ‘He Left a Paper Trail’ to New Heights
Careless Burglary Suspect Apprehended, Dropped Paperwork Recovered
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
HOUSTON COUNTY – No one relishes the thought of plowing through an endless stack of paperwork. There always seems to be one more form or document to complete and without that one particular piece of documentation, all a person’s hard work may fall apart.
Such was the case concerning a Sept. 2017 burglary in Houston County when a Crockett man dropped identifying documents at the scene of the crime.
Alfred Craig Wells, Jr., 35, was arrested on charges of burglary of a habitation, possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance after Houston County law enforcement officials discovered paperwork at the burglary which pointed the finger at Wells.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Houston County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Michael McCreight was assigned to work a burglary which occurred on Sept. 26, 2017. Among the items taken from a residence on CR 3397 were: two ATVs; a trailer; a dirt bike; a Remington 30-06 rifle with a Nikon scope; and a Troy-Bilt lawnmower.
As the investigation unfolded, “….investigators located what appeared to be legal paperwork from a magistrate’s warning. The paperwork appeared to have fallen out of a vehicle on the complainant’s property. The name on the paperwork was Alfred Craig Wells.”
Attached to the paperwork was a business card from Ace Bail Bonds and a letter written by Wells to an unidentified female while he was in jail, the probable cause document revealed.
“Investigators checked with the Houston County Jail and were advised Wells bonded out of jail on Sept. 25, 2017,” according to the affidavit.
The owner/complainant of the burglarized property was contacted by an alarm company at approximately 4 a.m. on Sept. 26, 2017. The property owner resides out of town and was unable to travel to his property until later that same morning.
When he arrived at the burglary site, the owner/complainant advised McCreight of the items which were stolen from his residence.
After leaving the scene, Investigator McCreight checked an online database for pawn shops which keep records of pawned items. He also did a search to see if the name Alfred Craig Wells returned any results.
“On Oct. 2, 2017, McCreight located pawn records at pawn shop in Houston where Wells pawned a Troy-Bilt model 12AVB2A711 gas push mower. The items were pawned on Sept. 29, 2017,” the affidavit stated.
McCreight was also able to locate a second pawn shop where the rifle was pawned.
On Feb. 8, Wells was taken into custody and charged with burglary of a habitation as well as the two counts of possession.
The burglary charge is a second degree felony under Texas law. According to Section 12.33 of the Texas Penal Code, “An individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the second degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the institutional division for any term of not more than 20 years or less than two years. In addition to imprisonment, an individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the second degree may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000.”
Wells has been “no-bonded” and remains at the Houston County Jail.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
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