A very alert and responsive private citizen is credited with providing Liberty County Sheriff’s Deputies with critical information that cleared a residential burglary and theft case before the home owner or authorities knew of the offense. It was somewhat of a dramatic scene that played out in mid-Liberty County at about 6:30 AM on Fri. April 10, 2020 when the citizen called the Sheriff’s Office and reported what he considered to be suspicious activity in the vicinity of FM 834 and FM 770.
According to Sheriff’s lead Investigator, Patrol Deputy Brad Taylor, he received the call reporting that a citizen was observing a red 4 wheeler being driven east on FM 834 while a Chevrolet pick-up truck followed it with no headlights on. From time to time the 4 wheeler rider would jump off the ATV and go into the woods, then get back on the ATV and continue east on FM 834. Then while the citizen witness watched, the ATV was driven into a wooded area and abandoned while the rider jumped into the truck with another male subject and the vehicle continued east on FM 834. While Dep. Taylor met the witness where the ATV was left in the woods, Deputy Gordon Bean and Deputy Chance Maddox searched the area for the gold colored Chevrolet truck and spotted it going back west on FM 834 towards Dep. Taylor and the witness. As the truck passed by, the witness positively identified both the truck and the occupants as being the ones who ditched the ATV.
Both Bean and Maddox initiated a felony stop of the truck and detained both white males while Taylor brought the witness to the scene for further positive identification. During the ensuing roadside investigation and interviewing of 48 year old Dalton Hugh Collins who was seen riding the ATV and 43 year old Macon Corley Hoffpauir who was driving the truck that had fictitious license plates on it, both were found to have concealed in their clothing small clear bags of a crystal-like substance with Collins possessing numerous credit cards that were not in his name, jewelry and other items that he could not account for having. Collins claimed he knew nothing about ditching the ATV in the woods and also claimed the shirt and hat he was wearing where suspected drugs were found was not his clothing but belonged to someone else. Found in his possession was a key to a Suzuki ATV that Collins claimed belonged to him . Both Collins and Hoffpauir were booked into the Liberty County Jail on drug charges.
About three hours later Dep. Taylor was dispatched to a residential burglary on SH 105 where the home owner reported a burglary of his home and the theft of two ATV’s, jewelry, guns and credit cards. The red Polaris ATV recovered earlier in the day was one of the vehicles and the stolen Suzuki was recovered later by Dep. Taylor also abandoned in a wooded area while the key to the Suzuki had been found in the shirt pocket of Dalton Collins.
Both Dalton Hugh Collins who gave a Kountze, Texas address and Macon Corley Hoffpauir who gave an Orange, Texas address were booked into the Liberty County Jail on the same charges of Burglary of a Habitation, Felony Theft and Possession of a Controlled Substance. The investigation is continuing to determine if others may be involved and if additional charges may be filed in addition to attempting to recover additional stolen property that was not recovered thus far.
This burglary and theft case was clearly solved in its early stages of development because a citizen witness decided to take decisive action and get involved by providing critical and immediate information to law enforcement that resulted in the arrest of two felony offenders, the recovery of stolen property, taking drug offenders off the street and may ultimately solve other related cases as well.
Sheriff Bobby Rader said he, personally, wants to thank this citizen witness for his concern and community involvement in helping to keep Liberty County safe from the criminal element and he further stressed that it is clear how such a close working relationship between the citizenry and law enforcement can build a better and safer community for everyone
Dalton Hugh Collins
Macon Corley Hoffpauir
Comments