TEXARKANA, Texas–A man who once worked as a K-9 officer for an Arkansas sheriff’s office was indicted Thursday for identity theft by a grand jury in Bowie County, Texas.
Jeffery Norman Martin, 51, was being held in the Bowie County jail on charges of aggravated robbery and possession of a controlled substance was indicted Thursday for allegedly using a man’s name, date of birth and social security number to fraudulently obtain a loan.
Martin was indicted last year on the charges of aggravated robbery and drug possession and had been free on bonds totaling $68,000 until mid-July, when he was taken back into custody after he allegedly pointed a gun at his estranged wife. Bond had not been set for Martin on the identity theft charge as of Thursday evening.
The indictment issued Thursday accuses Martin of committing identity theft in March 2022. He was charged with aggravated robbery in 2020 after he allegedly used a badge and a pistol to hold up a man in the parking lot of the Magnuson hotel in Texarkana, Texas, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When the alleged victim pulled into the hotel, two vehicles, including a truck allegedly driven by Martin pulled up behind him, blocking him in. Martin allegedly showed the man a badge and told him to turn around and face his car, which he did at the sight of the authentic-looking badge. Martin allegedly stole a Beretta pistol from the man’s waistband before leaving in his truck.
Martin was arrested again in April 2020 after Texarkana, Texas, police officers searched his residence in the 5800 block of Meadland Drive in connection with the robbery. During the search, investigators allegedly found .23 grams of cocaine and more than three ounces of marijuana in a small safe.
Investigators who were aware of Martin’s status as a police dog handler, asked him to provide proof that he was allowed to have the narcotics for training purposes. When Martin failed to provide any proof that he could legally possess the illicit drugs after more than a week had passed, investigators contacted the chief of the Bradley Ark. Police Department and the Sheriff of Lafayette County, both of whom advised they had not granted Martin permission to keep narcotics for canine training purposes, according to the affidavit.
a woman identified in court records as Martin’s wife, reported to law enforcement that Martin had taken $8,500 that her son was saving for a down payment on a new truck, according to a status report filed with a motion to revoke Martin’s bond.
“Mrs. Martin reported that when she confronted the defendant, he became very irate, yelling and cussing,” the report states. “She advised that he took an unknown amount of anti-depressant pills and grabbed a gun and threatened to kill himself.”
After vocalizing suicidal threats, Martin allegedly turned the gun on his wife, “pointing a gun in her face and making threats to kill her.”
The mother and her son fled the residence but returned later to retrieve belongings and allegedly found Martin was drinking to excess and taking additional “pills.” When officers responded to their 911 call, Martin allegedly barricaded himself inside and had to be talked out by the lawmen.
He was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and jailed upon release the next day, according to the affidavit. Martin’s bonds in the aggravated robbery and drug possession cases have been revoked, meaning he cannot be released from jail without permission from the court presiding over his felony cases.
If convicted of aggravated robbery, Martin faces five to 99 years or life in prison. If found guilty of possession of a controlled substance or identity theft, he could receive sentences of six months to two years in a state jail. Martin also faces up to a year in the county jail if found guilty of misdemeanor deadly conduct involving the firearm he allegedly pointed at his estranged wife.
