Party bus murder investigation continues
Beaumont Police Department (BPD) detectives are still interviewing witnesses and investigating the March 18 homicide and aggravated assault on Phelan Boulevard. Three people were arrested, but the continuous investigation could lead to more arrests, according to police.
Investigators are bringing in witnesses and asking for any cell phone video or surveillance videos from businesses in the area. Any person who witnessed the incident, have video, and have not been contacted by investigators can call (409) 832-1234.
In a video acquired by The Examiner, more than 20 shots being fired could be heard in the background.
BPD was called to 6550 Phelan Blvd., The West End Crossing, in response to trespassers parking on the property and walking to D’Money Daiquiris Lounge, 6632 Phelan.
According to BPD, several gunshots were fired in the D’Money parking lot and officers stopped a Mercedes party van with 14 occupants. A 16-year-old juvenile fled from the van but was apprehended. Eight firearms — three found on the juvenile — were confiscated.
Two victims were found in a GMC Sierra truck in the Burger King parking lot on Phelan. The passenger, Geraldo Escamilla, 30, was deceased and the driver was shot in the leg. The truck was struck with 27 rounds.
According to BPD, detectives interviewed witnesses and suspects. They obtained murder and aggravated assault warrants on Armani Rashad Wallace, 20, and Jaren Battles, 18, both of Orange.
They were arrested and transported to Jefferson County Correctional Facility. A $950,000 bond for murder and $500,000 bond for aggravated assault was set for each suspect.
The juvenile was arrested for two counts of unlawfully carrying a weapon, evading arrest and possession of a prohibited weapon.
He was transported to Minnie Rogers Juvenile Center.
Woman found dead wrapped in plastic
A man has been charged with murder in connection to the death of his live-in girlfriend after he was arrested in Liberty County, according to a press release from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO).
March 15, OCSO reported Russell James Kinney, 38, was stopped in Liberty County on an unrelated traffic offense then taken to the Liberty County Jail. He confessed to the murder of Jenny Baxter, 45, whose body was wrapped in several layers of plastic and stuffed underneath a bed at her home in the Denbow Mobile Home Park on FM 1131, north of Vidor.
Sheriff Jimmy Lane Mooney reported Kinney confessed he killed Baxter after an argument several weeks ago. Mooney added Kinney took the victim’s cell phone and used it to communicate with her family to appear she was alive. Kinney and Baxter had been dating for a several months, and Kinney moved in with Baxter.
March 14, OCSO deputies responded to Baxter’s for a wellness check. While searching the residence, deputies located the woman’s body.
Investigators are waiting for toxicology results to help determine the cause of death.
OCSO Criminal Investigation Division responded to the scene with assistance of the Texas Rangers and Jefferson County Crime Lab. During the investigation, investigators suspected Kinney was involved in her death.
After Kinney was arrested, OCSO detectives went to Liberty County to talk to Kinney, who confessed to the murder. With the assistance of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, investigators obtained an arrest warrant charging Kinney with murder.
The victim is the youngest daughter of radio personality, Gordon Baxter, who died in 2005 at age 81. In the mid-1980s, Gordon Baxter wrote “Jenny ‘N” Dad: The Love Story of a Very Young Daughter and a Very Old Dad.” Years later, Jenny Baxter authored a book entitled “Gordon Baxter: Flying Lessons and Pilot Talk.”
A recent photograph on her social media account showed Jenny in a wheelchair.
Octogenarian arrested for murder of woman
The Beaumont Police Department (BPD) arrested a Hardin County man on March 16 in connection with a fatal shooting in Silsbee.
At 12:18 p.m., BPD responded to a call in the 300 block of Pollard in reference to assisting EMS with a medical call. They recognized the man being treated by EMS as Norman Dean Land, 87, of Silsbee, who was wanted in the fatal shooting of June Jeffcoat, 77, of Silsbee.
He was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital. After treatment, he was transferred to the Hardin County Jail.
According to Silsbee Police Department (SPD) Chief Shawn Blackwell, officers responded to the 1000 block of Bonner Street for a possible fatal shooting victim and found Jeffcoat, 77, had been shot multiple times.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Jeffcoat’s caregiver arrived at the home at 7:50 a.m. and Land warned her she would be shot if she came inside the residence. The caregiver returned to her vehicle and heard a gunshot from inside the residence. SPD officers and detectives responded to the home and found Jeffcoat sitting in a chair in the dining room. She had two wounds to the abdomen.
Investigators spoke to a man by phone who said Land came to his residence about 8 a.m. and he said he was “going to be in trouble.” Land told the man he got into an argument with Jeffcoat over a purse and he shot her twice, causing her to fall into the chair. Land stated he shot her a third time and said he left the gun at the house behind a door.
At the scene of the murder, Land’s mail and some of his belongings weer scattered on the dining room floor inside Jeffcoat’s home. According to the statement, Jeffcoat was shot twice in the abdomen and one time in the left kidney.
Investigators collected enough information for an arrest warrant for Land for murder by Hardin County Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace Judge Chris Ingram. Bond was set at $750,000.
Confession precedes lie detector in child sex case
The outcry of a 12-year-old child led to the arrest of Federico Rodriguez, 31, a Sour Lake man, who was arrested and charged with indecency with a child by sexual contact, a second-degree felony. Rodriguez was transported to the Hardin County Jail and bond was set at $500,000.
According to Sour Lake Police Chief Aaron Burleson, the child reported the assault on Feb. 19 and the Sour Lake Police Department (SLPD) was made aware of the incident on Feb. 21 and opened an investigation that led to Rodriguez.
March 13, Rodriguez went to SLPD for an interview and to take a polygraph test. He gave a full confession before taking the polygraph.
March 14, SLPD obtained an arrest warrant and Rodriguez was arrested that evening at a residence in Sour Lake.
Police find cash, drugs, no suspect
A Hardin County man is still at large after he evaded a Lumberton Police Department (LPD) traffic stop on foot on March 7.
The Beaumont Police Department (BPD) reported LPD conducted a traffic stop on Adrian Elam, 35, who evaded on foot and discarded a large amount of U.S. currency and narcotics.
BPD Narcotics Unit detectives responded and began their investigation, which led them to execute a search warrant on a room at the Days Inn in Beaumont. Inside, police found a large amount of suspected methamphetamine.
Anyone who knows where Elam can be located or has any information about this crime is asked to call BPD at (409) 832-1234. Information can also be submitted anonymously to Southeast Texas Crime Stoppers at (409) 833-TIPS (8477) or by downloading the P3 tips app on your smart phone. All Crime Stoppers tips are anonymous and a person may be eligible for a reward.
Teen joyride ends in jail, juvie
March 20, a lengthy chase ended with Beaumont Police Department (BPD) officers arresting a man on multiple charges just after 2 a.m.
According to information from BPD, at 2:20 a.m., officers responded to a call of an automobile theft in progress at the Barclay Manor Apartments on Crow Road. When officers arrived, they saw the truck speeding away. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle and it sped up, refusing to stop. The driver, Deamonte Chopane,18, of Beaumont, led officers on a lengthy pursuit throughout the city, eventually losing control and wrecking at the intersection of Concord Road and Plum Street.
Chopane and a juvenile passenger both fled from the vehicle on foot. They were later caught and arrested. A pistol was located inside the vehicle but did not belong to the auto’s owner.
Chopane was transported to the Jefferson County Jail and charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, evading in a motor vehicle, evading on foot and unlawfully carrying a weapon. The juvenile was transported to the Minnie Rogers Juvenile Justice Center.
Another Boot Barn boost
The Beaumont Police Department (BPD) is again seeking information and the identity of a man who walked into The Boot Barn and left with a pair of boots without paying for the pricey pair of kicks.
According to BPD, the incident occurred March 8. Video surveillance shows the suspect select “a very nice pair of boots” from the shelf and put them on before then eyeing the scene, and making a bee line for the door – making no attempt to pay.
Information can be submitted anonymously to Southeast Texas Crime Stoppers at 409-833-TIPS (8477) or by downloading the P3 tips app on your smart phone. All Crime Stoppers tips are anonymous and you may be eligible for a reward.
Five arrested with ski mask and guns
March 16, five suspects, including three juveniles, were arrested after a lengthy police chase, reported the Beaumont Police Department (BPD).
Just after midnight, a BPD officer initiated a traffic top of a Chrysler 300 for reckless driving on Interstate 10 near 7th Street. The driver fled and led police on a pursuit that didn’t conclude until the eluding vehicle crashed on Reins at Moore Road, south of State Highway 105, in Jefferson County.
One of the five occupants left the vehicle and fled on foot, but was quickly apprehended with the assistance of Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office K-9.
During the investigation, two firearms were discovered – one in the possession of a 16-year-old male who was also toting a ski mask. The suspects were transported to a local hospital and treated for injuries sustained during the crash.
BPD stated that Dazzmar Tronnywayne Alexander, 20, of Beaumont, was charged with evading in a motor vehicle causing serious bodily injury; and LaTrevion Allen Roberts, 17, of Beaumont, was charged with evading detention on foot. Additional charges are pending for the three juveniles.
Officer injured in teen auto theft
Five juveniles, ages 13-15, were taken into custody after a pursuit in a stolen vehicle ended in a crash. One police officer called to stop the lawlessness was taken to the hospital for injuries sustained during the chase.
The Beaumont Police Department (BPD) reported Special Assignment Unit officers were patrolling Church Street on March 14. About 4 p.m., they received notification that a stolen Dodge Durango had passed them. While searching for the vehicle, dispatch advised them the Dodge had crashed into a fence in the 1500 block of Annie Street.
Five juveniles, three males and two females, were observed walking from the vehicle. Officers detained the females while the males fled on foot. All three males were apprehended after a long search.
One officer was treated at a local hospital for an injury sustained during the search.
The male driver, age 15, was taken to a local hospital due to injuries sustained in crash but charges are pending. Two male passengers, age 13 and 14, were transported to the Minnie Rogers Juvenile Detention Center for evading on foot. Two females, age 14, were released to their parents.
Man arrested, released for drug trafficking
A Beaumont man was arrested after a search warrant was executed, reported the Beaumont Police Department (BPD).
March 17, BPD’s Narcotics Unit, along with SWAT, K-9 officers and the Special Assignment Unit, converged on a structure in the 6700 block of Bigner Road.
Joseph Eaglin was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and tampering with evidence. As of March 22, Eaglin was no longer in the Jefferson County Jail.