HOUSTON - A joint investigation between Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Special Agents and the Harris Co. Sheriff's Office led to yesterday's arrest of a Houston man who is accused of stealing thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry from department store chains throughout North and Southeast Texas.
Investigators with the DPS' Criminal Investigations Division and the Harris Co. Sheriff's Office worked alongside loss prevention officers from a department store chain to catch 43-year-old Demond Lamont Finister who is suspected of burglarizing several department store chains recently. Last night, investigators alleged Finister broke into a JCPenny store in College Station. Working with the assistance of Texas Highway Patrol Troopers and College Station Police Department Officers, Finister was pulled over on State Highway 6 in College Station shortly after Thursday's burglary.
A search of Finister's vehicle led to the discovery of approximately $25,000 worth of jewelry in a backpack. Investigators obtained a search warrant for Finister's Houston-area motel room and recovered approximately $80,000 worth of stolen jewelry, which was allegedly taken from a JCPenny department store in Hurst, Texas. In addition to the recovered jewelry from JCPenny, investigators also recovered several thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry from other department store chains.
Finister was arrested for burglary and possession of a criminal instrument by the College Station Police Department and transported to the Brazos Co. Jail.
This investigation is ongoing, and no further information is available for release at this time.
### (DPS-Southeast Texas Region)