Two arrested following Dollar General thefts

SMITH COUNTY — Two people were arrested on Monday in connection to Dollar General thefts, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office said. According to our news partner KETK,  around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Whitehouse police officers responded to a theft at a Dollar General on Highway 110, but the suspects had already fled in a black pickup truck, the sheriff’s office said.

Officials said about 20 minutes later, a theft was also reported at the Dollar General on FM 2493 in Flint.

“It was quickly determined that both thefts involved the same male and female suspect who entered the store and filled grocery carts full of merchandise and then exited,” Smith County official said. “Smith County Property Crimes Investigators had been monitoring the radio traffic of these two thefts due to the ongoing nature of similar thefts in the past few weeks. They quickly responded and developed a known suspect vehicle and license plate from surveillance video.”

The suspect vehicle was found at around 12:30 p.m. in Tyler with three occupants. Two people in the vehicle were identified as 56-year-old Nigel Harris and 58-year-old Aineda Johnson, both of Tyler, were arrested on outstanding warrants.

According to the sheriff’s office, the suspects had been involved in several theft cases in Bullard, Whitehouse, Tyler and other areas in Smith County.

Harris and Johnson were both booked into the Smith County Jail on a warrant for possession of a controlled substance. Harris was also charged with a parole violation and his bonds total $150,000. Johnson is being held on a $30,000 bond.

The sheriff’s office said additional charges are expected as investigators handle the theft cases and more arrests are likely.