Two Davis area citizens assisted Murray County Sheriff’s deputies in the Memorial Day apprehension of a pair of men who allegedly burglarized a Chickasaw Trail marijuana grow facility, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The two suspects, who were apprehended after a short manhunt, were identified as Garland Toby Gene Chapman, 37, Pauls Valley, and Joseph Chesnutt, 51, Byars.
Responding to a “burglary in progress” report, deputies Blake Clifton and Tanner Hunt were dispatched to 31 Chickasaw Trail Rd., on Monday, May 26, where they were told two men were loading items onto a trailer from the grow facility.
One of the men who assisted authorities in the capture of the two suspects and had reported the attempted burglary said in the affidavit he blocked the driver from driving out from the grow facility, but the driver of the suspect pickup drove around and through a fence. It was there the trailer became stuck, but the suspects successfully broke free from the trailer and headed southbound on Chickasaw Trail Rd. at a high rate of speed, according to the affidavit.
As deputies closed in on the grow facility, they were given updates from Murray County E-911on the location of the fleeing pickup, which at that time was westbound on Fairview Rd., from S.H. 110.
Deputies caught up to the feeling pair after they went down Blackberry Rd., in Davis, which dead-ends in a neighborhood area.
Clifton said in the affidavit, he saw one of the suspects jumping fences and ordered him to stop, but the man continued as Clifton fired several rounds of pepper balls in his direction.
It was at that point, according to the affidavit, that the second of two citizens helping authorities in the apprehension, spotted a man running in his field and ordered him at gunpoint to get in his side-by-side, which he did after a second request.
That suspect, later identified as Chapman, said he was “sorry and he did not want it to go this way.” He was brought to waiting deputies in the side-by-side and later arrested.
With one suspect still at large, Chickasaw National Recreation Area rangers assisted by using their drone, while the two deputies continued to search on foot.
Undersheriff Ben Flowers also assisted after arriving at the scene and found Chesnutt in a nearby shed. He and Hunt pulled Chesnutt out of the shed, according to the affidavit, and placed him under arrest.
Both suspects were later charged with burglary in the second degree. Chapman was charged with an additional count of eluding an officer.
Garland Toby Gene Chapman
Joseph Chesnutt
