Officers responded to a report of a stolen vehicle from the parking lot of a business in the 2800 block of New Boston Road at approximately 1:30 p.m. today. The vehicle’s owner told officers that he had left the keys in his burgundy Mini Cooper while he briefly went inside the business to pay a bill. While he was inside, a male wearing a black hoodie and blue shorts was seen entering the vehicle and driving it off on New Boston Road.
At approximately 2:00, Officers Martin McGee and Marc Neal located a similar vehicle occupied by two males driving westbound in the 3600 block of New Boston Road. During the traffic stop, it was quickly determined that the vehicle was, in fact, the same vehicle that had been stolen a few minutes before. The buyer’s tags that had previously been on the vehicle had been replaced with a fictitious Arkansas license plate. The driver, Richard Whitaker, 25, of Texarkana, Texas, told the officers that he had taken the car to move back home to Arkansas. He also said that the other occupant had no idea that he had stolen the car before offering him a ride.
Whitaker was arrested for Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle and transported to the Texarkana Jail. The second occupant was not charged and was released at the scene.