Jefferson/Liberty County – Law enforcement caught two men accused of stealing aluminum ramps from 18-wheelers at the Petro Travel Center on Walden Road and speeding off toward Liberty County.

It all started when Beaumont PD contacted Jefferson County Dispatch around 8:40 a.m. Wednesday to report an attempt to locate a suspected stolen vehicle. Dispatch advised deputies of a theft of aluminum ramps from 18-wheelers parked at Petro Travel Center, 5405 Walden Road. The suspects left the Petro and headed west on Interstate 10. The suspect vehicle was a white Penske truck with Indiana license plates.

A JCSO patrol deputy saw the suspect vehicle traveling westbound on Interstate 10 near the Chambers County line. He stopped the driver right at the Chambers County line. The driver and passenger were identified while driving. While the driver later got out of the vehicle, the passenger left in the truck.

A short time later, another JCSO deputy located the pickup truck on Highway 1406 and attempted to pull the driver over, but he refused. The driver fled into Liberty County, where Liberty Sheriff’s Office deputies and Texas Highway Patrol troopers joined in to assist. The driver eventually pulled over in Dayton on Interstate 90 and fled, but was quickly taken into custody.

Both men were arrested and charges are pending.