This article was originally published in The Examiner on Jan. 11, 2018.
By Eleanor Skelton
Staff Writer
Two men stole a state trooper’s patrol car after they had been handcuffed and arrested for illegal drugs in Chambers County Monday afternoon.
A Texas DPS state trooper handcuffed and arrested the two suspects for a large amount of narcotics and radioed Chambers County Dispatch for backup about 2 p.m. Jan. 8, Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said in a news release.
During the investigation, the two men stole the state trooper’s patrol car and led law enforcement on a chase.
The suspects lost control of the car near I-10 and FM 1410, jumped out and ran away on foot, Hawthorne said.
Chambers County deputies quickly took one suspect back into custody, but Southeast Texas law enforcement formed a large-scale manhunt to find the other suspect.
The manhunt search team included Chambers County Sheriff’s deputies, Texas DPS state troopers, Texas Department of Criminal Justice bloodhounds and helicopters from Texas DPS and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Both suspects were back in custody at 5:27 p.m., Hawthorne said.
Eleanor Skelton 