February 24, 2016 - Shelby County Sheriff Willis Blackwell reports that on Monday, February 15, 2016 at approximately 7:41hrs, Shelby County Sheriff's Department was contacted by Nacogdoches Police Department who advised that a vehicle registered to a Raymond Carson of Center was located in a Nacogoches city park located on Pearl Street near the intersection of West Main Street. It was advised that a subject identified as a Thomas Wayne Hughes, Jr., 31 of Garrison was located inside the vehicle bound with handcuffs and zipties.
Sergeant Investigator DJ Dickerson was notified of the situation in which he along with Deputy Kurtes Lawrence and Patrol Sergeant Michael Griffin traveled to the residence to which the vehicle was registered to, a Raymond Carson located at 14834 Highway 7 West, Center, Texas. Upon arrival, contact was made with a Raymond Carson who at that time realized that his 2005 Toyota Tacoma was stolen. Mr. Carson had a game camera attached to a tree that was pointing towards the residence where the vehicle was parked and upon reviewing the SD card with photographs, (2) photographs were found time stamped 2:41am and 3:04am in which a white male subject of slender build wearing blue jeans and a hoodie was walking towards Carson's vehicle. It was found that the subject that was located in Carson's vehicle by Nacogdoches Police Department officers was the same observed in the photographs on the game camera.
Sergeant Investigator DJ Dickerson traveled to a neighboring residence next to Carson's residence and spoke with a subjects who advised that a Thomas Hughes, Jr. was over at his place and had left sometime in the night possibly through a bedroom window due to the window being found open and the doors locked and secured.
Sergeant Investigator Donnie G. Dickerson, Jr. spoke to Detective Killinsworth with Nacogdoches Police Department who advised that the defendant, a Thomas Wayne Hughes, Jr. had confessed that he had stolen the vehicle from the Carson residence last night and advised that he had bound himself with the handcuffs and zipties.
It was also discovered through the investigation that Hughes had traveled through a fence line to exit from the property due to a gate being secured.
Warrants were issued for Thomas Hughes, Jr. for the charges of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, State Jail Felony and Criminal Mischief, Misdemeanor B. Hughes was arrested for said charges and has since been transferred to the Shelby County Sheriff's Department and was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Maxie Eaves receiving a total bond for both charges set at $7,000 and was released on the 23rd of February.
