PARKER COUNTY (1080 KRLD)- The Parker County sheriff says investigators have arrested several suspects in a string of stolen lumber. Russ Authier says the suspects are responsible for five cases of lumber theft from construction sites in Aledo and Weatherford.
Authier says four people stole more than $5,000 worth of new windows and more than $40,000 in lumber and plywood sheets. He says investigators used surveillance video from the construction sites showing the suspects' trucks.
Authier says investigators found pallets of plywood and lumber covered by tarps in the backyards of the suspects' homes.
"Our Criminal Investigations Division was swift in tracking leads to identify the suspects in connection with numerous cases reported over the past few months,” Authier wrote in a statement.
Three suspects have been arrested: Ivan Dominguez, 19; Carlos Mendoza, 45; and Nathan Baez, 17.
All three have been charged with felony theft; Mendoza remains in jail on a detainer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The other two have posted bond and been released.
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Friday morning, Authier says investigators were still looking for a fourth suspect, Octavio Perez, 18.
All four suspects live in Fort Worth.
Lumber prices hit record levels earlier this year due to a shortage caused by mills shutting down during the pandemic and record demand. In June, though, lumber futures dropped 40%.
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