Jack Johnson (Source: Angelina County Jail)LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) -
On Tuesday, Judge Paul White of the 159th District
Court sentenced a 41-year old man to a 300-day state jail prison term for
stealing at least nine iron manhole covers in Diboll.
Jack Johnson, 41, of Diboll, is still being held in
the Angelina County Jail while he is awaiting transport to a Texas Department
of Criminal Justice state jail facility.
In April 2012, Diboll police officers caught Johnson
in the act of using a small sledge hammer to break apart an iron pipe that
belonged to Union Pacific Railroad. Then, several Crime Stoppers tips dating
back to December 2011 pointed to Johnson as the suspect in the theft of the
manhole covers. The stolen manhole covers and rings weighed about 200 pounds each.
The arrest affidavit stated that Detective Norman
Williams of the Diboll Police Department spoke with several possible witnesses
about the manhole cover thefts. One witness told
authorities that Johnson had been seen in possession of the manhole covers and
that the suspect had sold them at a Lufkin scrap yard.
Johnson was initially charged with felony criminal
mischief. However, a state jail felony charge of theft of property between
$1,500 and $20,000 was filed against him two days later.
The missing covers left a gaping hole and a 15-foot
drop in some of Diboll's city streets.
Copyright 2012 KTRE. All rights reserved.
