UPDATE 08/30/2017, 12:00PM
At approximately 4:48 a.m. Tuesday, August 29th, a Benton Police officer on patrol noticed from across Interstate 30 that a vehicle had pulled into the parking lot of Mac’s Minnows and More (15920 I-30) and two men exited the vehicle. The officer then noticed the two men enter the store and while en route to the scene, the officer heard an audible alarm from the business.
Upon arrival to the business, the suspects fled in a vehicle toward I-30. During the pursuit, the suspect’s vehicle lost control in the median near the 111 exit from I-30 and a passenger exited the vehicle and fled on foot. The vehicle regained control and continued driving along I-30, until the driver again pulled into the median and jumped from the moving car, leaving it to cross the service road and collide with a tree down an embankment.
Officers later located one suspect near the I-30 weigh station, and the second suspect was later located and taken into custody on Highway 67 near the 114 exit from Interstate 30. During a search of the vehicle, detectives located suspected marijuana.
Kendrick Germaine Lewis, age 23, of Forest Hill, Texas and Jordan Demon O’Neal, age 23, of Fort Worth, Texas, are each facing charges of Commercial Burglary, class C felony; Theft of Property, class A misdemeanor; Criminal Mischief, class D felony; Fleeing, class D felony; Use of Another Person’s Property to Facilitate a Crime, class B felony; Possession of an Instrument of Crime, class A misdemeanor, and Possession of a Controlled Substance, class A misdemeanor. Lewis and O’Neal were transported to the Saline County Detention Center.
The investigation is ongoing and more charges could be forthcoming.
Anyone with information about the suspects or information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Benton Police Department at 501-778-1171 or 501-315-TIPS. Individuals also may send an anonymous crime tip about this incident to CRIMES (274637) with the keyword BNPD in the body of the text or go to www.crimereports.com to leave a tip. A crime tip can also be submitted via the official Benton Police Department app found on iTunes and Google Play.
Any suspects listed are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Follow BNPD on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Benton-Police-Department/2218291745608
ORIGINAL 08/29/2017, 10:00AM
UPDATE 08/29/17 10:00 AM:
While Benton PD can confirm that it was a burglary, it is an ongoing investigation, so the report is not being released at this time. However, a source close to the owner of Macs Minnows gave the following account:
“It happened prior to opening. Police saw suspects leaving building and speeding away. Two passengers jumped out of the vehicle during the police pursuit. Police took the driver into custody. Damage to the side door and appears only thing taken were some Newport cigarettes, as far as they can tell.”
ORIGINAL 08/29/17 7:54 AM
Locals in Benton and Haskell are telling MySaline that:
1. there is police tape on Macs Minnows and More, near exit 116 in Benton,
2. there is a large police presence at Pawnee Drive west of Exit 114, as well as at the Highway 70 and Interstate 30 intersection, and
3. these things may be related.
When we get more info, we’ll update.