Vehicle burglaries solved

Sheriff’s office recovers more than $30,000 in stolen goods – all taken from unlocked cars

Parker County Sheriff’s Department

Special to The Community News

Parker County Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (FAST) members arrested a couple Thursday evening, March 21, in connection with several vehicle burglaries. 

Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler said Sheriff’s investigators with the Criminal Investigations Division conducted a thorough investigation of more than 20 vehicle burglaries in the Aledo area of Parker County. Investigators also believe the same suspects are responsible for additional vehicle burglaries in Tarrant and Johnson Counties over the last several months.

Sheriff’s investigators connected the man and woman identified as Chelsea Lynn Applewhite, 31, and David Roy Jackson, 32, both of Crowley, after an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip led investigators to the suspects.

“Our Criminal Investigations Division (CID) discovered the suspects used stolen debit and credit cards at local convenience and department stores, capturing them on security video,” Sheriff Fowler said. “We distributed still photographs of the suspects committing their crimes to news and social media outlets, which led several tipsters to contact authorities with possible identities of the suspects. Our CID investigators filtered through each lead and connected Applewhite and Jackson to the crimes. Our Fast Unit members tracked the suspect’s location and conducted a surveillance operation in order to apprehend the suspects, The success of this investigation and arrests was a team effort with the help of a single good tip by a concerned citizen.” 

Sheriff’s investigators recovered at least $30,000 worth of stolen items in the possession of the suspects.

Stolen items recovered included jewelry, sports equipment, tools, credit and debit cards, cellular phones, electronics, clothing, backpacks, purses, makeup bags, and sunglasses.

“These cases are still under investigation,” Sheriff Fowler said. “We are now hoping the crime victims will identify their recovered stolen items and contact us to arrange verification and a time to return their property.” 

Anyone living in the Aledo/Southeast portion of Parker County who has already reported their items stolen and recognizes their personal property is encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigators Thursday, March 28, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to schedule a time to receive their property back by calling (817) 594-8845.

Sheriff Fowler added citizens can avoid becoming a crime victim by simply locking their doors.

“In each of these case reports, not one window was broken,” Sheriff Fowler said. “Every single vehicle where property was stolen from was left unlocked by the vehicle owner. We can’t stress enough to the public about the importance of locking your doors and removing valuables from your vehicles,”