Man allegedly steals laptop from woman who gave him ride
Sheriff’s files
STEVEN MROSS
The Sentinel-Record staff
A local man was arrested Tuesday afternoon for allegedly stealing a laptop computer from a woman who had given him a ride earlier.
James Edward Thalacker Jr., 36, who lists an address of 754 Gold Nugget Loop, was taken into custody shortly after 4:30 p.m. and charged with a misdemeanor count of theft of property, punishable by up to one year in jail.
He was later released on $1,000 bond and is set to appear Nov. 19 in Garland County District Court.
According to Garland County Sheriff’s Department reports, the victim, 29, of Pearcy, states she gave Thalacker a ride around noon and he asked her to stop as they were traveling in about the 100 block of Old Bear Road so he could walk.
She stopped and he suddenly grabbed her laptop, which was lying on the back seat, jumped out of her vehicle and ran into the nearby woods.
Around 2 p.m., GCSD deputies Shane Tatum and Gary Dorris were dispatched to the area of Papago Road, located off the 300 block of Old Bear, regarding a white male in a black sweatshirt and blue jeans who appeared to be intoxicated and was “stumbling around” as he walked.
They searched the area and found a suspect matching the description, identified as Thalacker, who was passed out on the front porch of a residence in the 100 block of Umatilla Street in the Lake Tahoe Estates subdivision in Royal.
After making contact with him, they learned about the stolen laptop and located it in a green backpack he was carrying and confirmed it belonged to the victim by matching the serial numbers. The suspect was taken into custody without incident
