Moss Bluff, Louisiana – A Texas man faces burglary and theft charges after Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies say he followed a bank customer and stole $10,000 in cash from the victim’s vehicle at a Moss Bluff gas station.
Richard D. Gray, 38, of Houston, Texas, was arrested September 12 following an investigation that began when deputies responded to a business on Sam Houston Jones Parkway regarding a vehicle burglary report.
The victim told investigators he had just withdrawn $10,000 from his bank account and made stops at a gas station and another business. During one of these stops, he discovered an envelope containing the cash was missing from inside his vehicle.
Detectives with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Vehicle Crimes Investigative Unit reviewed security footage from the bank, which revealed a maroon Dodge pickup truck following the victim as he left the parking lot. Additional surveillance video showed the truck continuing to follow the victim to the gas station.
The footage captured the suspect’s truck pulling up next to the victim’s vehicle in the gas station parking lot. After the victim exited his car, investigators observed Gray leaving his truck, opening the victim’s passenger door, then returning to his vehicle and driving away.
Using the Real Time Crime Center, a technology hub that assists law enforcement with real-time intelligence, detectives located Gray at a local casino. Following an interview, Gray was arrested and transported to the Calcasieu Correctional Center.
Gray faces charges of simple burglary and theft of property valued between $5,000 and $25,000. In Louisiana, simple burglary involves the unauthorized entering of a structure or vehicle with intent to commit a felony or theft.
Detective James Rathke serves as the lead investigator on the case. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities indicate additional arrests are possible.
All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.