THREE ARRESTED in Garland for COPPER CABLE THEFT After Police Chase and Drug Seizure
On August 7, 2024, around 6:00 p.m., Garland Police responded to a report of a theft in progress near Belt Line Road and Wagon Wheel.
The caller stated that a U-Haul truck was blocking a traffic lane, with people aggressively stealing copper cable and loading it into the vehicle.
When authorities arrived, one suspect was loading the copper cable into the U-Haul, while another walked away. As cops sought to apprehend the defendants, the U-Haul driver fled, resulting in a car pursuit.
The pursuit ended quickly with the arrest of the driver, 27-year-old Izely Guadalupe Guerrero Rodriguez of Rockwall. Officers later discovered the second suspect, 41-year-old Jerome Wayne Perkins of Monroe, Louisiana, in a nearby convenience shop. Richard Wayne Schultz, 37, the third suspect, was captured in Dallas on August 8.
The investigation found that the suspects most likely used a saw seized from the U-Haul to cut the copper line from a power pole. Officers also discovered narcotics in Guerrero’s and Perkins’ possession, as well as a handgun.
The three accused were booked into the Garland Detention Center under the following charges:
- Izely Guadalupe Guerrero Rodriguez is charged with evading arrest or detention in a vehicle, theft of aluminum, bronze, copper, or brass valued at less than $20,000, and possession of fentanyl.
- Jerome Wayne Perkins is charged with evading arrest or detention, unlawful carrying of a weapon with a felony conviction, theft of alum/bronze/copper/brass valued at less than $20,000, and possession of methamphetamine.
- Richard Wayne Schultz: Evading Arrest; Theft-Material Aluminum, Bronze, Copper, and Brass Less Than $20,000.
The investigation is underway. Garland Police commended people who reported suspicious activities, which helped police apprehend the perpetrators.
Schultz has no mugshots available right now.