Police say suspect broke into multiple parked semi trucks in Louisiana to steal ECMs

Law enforcement agencies from Louisiana and Texas partnered to arrest a suspect who is believed to have broken into parked semi trucks in Duson, Louisiana.

Between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. on November 21, the Duson Police Department (DPD) says that a person who traveled to Duson, Louisiana, from Houston, Texas, “broke into multiple commercial vehicles, stealing the engine control modules (ECMs) out of two big rigs.”

Shortly before 10 a.m. on November 22, Beaumont Police located the suspect vehicle in Texas and pulled it over for a traffic stop after observing violations.

A subsequent search of the vehicle “revealed tools consistent with criminal activity and additional evidence related to the originating offenses.”

Police arrested the following three individuals following the traffic stop:

• Jalen Green, 25
• Alvin McGowen Jr., 25
• Javion Matthews, 23

From DPD:

“Duson Police Officers traveled Beaumont on Saturday and interviewed all 3 men detained and collected evidence, since that time additional evidence has surfaced that will result in one of the men being arrested for 2 counts of burglary.

Duson Police Chief Kip Judice plans to make contact with Federal Investigators to help with additional federal charges of interstate transportation of stolen property, and says he will lean on the local criminal justice system to keep this bad guy locked up.“

“An ECM on a commercial vehicle is the brain of the truck’s operation, when this device is stolen it renders the vehicle in operable, this often time causes delays in deliveries, product spoiling and ultimately cost consumers as most prices reflect the cost of delivering products to retail markets. An ECM is costly to replace up to $5,000.00 in some instances, while it is not clear who maintains a market for used ECMs these types of crimes have been committed regularly and has had an impact on the trucking industry throughout the southern United States,” police said.