Stolen vehicles recovered

From the Parker County Sheriff's Office

An anonymous tip and joint investigation led investigators to the recovery of several stolen vehicles. 

Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler said the Sheriff’s auto theft investigator recovered several vehicles in Horseshoe Bend reported stolen out of Parker County and Lake Worth.

Sheriff’s Investigator Scott Masters, assigned to the Tarrant Regional Auto Crimes Task Force, led the Parker County investigation.

Masters received an anonymous tip naming a suspect in possession of a stolen truck. 

The suspect was identified as Braxton Lee Manley, 29, of Weatherford, living in the 7300-block of Hopi Trail. 

Sheriff’s deputies and investigators conducted an investigation at Manley’s residence, discovering two vehicles reported stolen out of Lake Worth. Sheriff’s Patrol deputies located another truck believed to have been stolen by Manley abandoned in Brock on Interstate-20. 

Tarrant Regional Auto Crimes Task Force has an open investigation against Manley for Tarrant County offenses along with a separate investigation out of Lake Worth Police naming Manley as a suspect for auto crimes in their jurisdiction.  

Masters conducted an interview with Manley, where Manley implicated himself in numerous thefts out of Weatherford, Fort Worth, and from a motor sales company in Lake Worth on several occasions. 

Manley was arrested Wednesday by Lake Worth Police and incarcerated in Tarrant County. Sheriff’s investigators were expected to serve the Parker County warrants on Manley on Thursday, April 30, for charges of theft. Manley also faces a criminal mischief charge out of Parker County for damaging property when he stole a vehicle from a business owner. 

Three stolen vehicles were recovered in Parker County by Sheriff’s deputies and Masters, who also recovered a stolen trailer in Granbury, all believed to have been stolen by Manley.

During an interview, Manley implicated himself in an additional theft of a 2018 Dodge Ram 3500 stolen out of Parker County last week. The stolen Dodge was later recovered at a hotel parking lot in White Settlement.

Four additional trucks were recovered by Masters and officers from Lake Worth Police and Tarrant Regional Auto Crimes Task Force. 

Investigators said Manley also confessed to stealing a Caterpillar skid steer which has not yet been recovered.

“This is just another example of how joint-agency cooperation has proved to be successful,” Fowler said.