Authorities: Burglars Caught in the Act

RUSK — Two burglary suspects are jailed in Cherokee County after reportedly being caught in the act. On Wednesday around 2:15 p.m., the sheriff’s office was notified of a property owner who was following two suspects that he allegedly caught on his property stealing engine parts from his garage. The complainant said he was following the suspects on Hwy. 21 between Alto and Nacogdoches. According to accounts, the suspects pulled over at the intersection of Hwy. 21 and County Road 2610 (about 1.5 miles east of Alto), where they exited their truck and approached the complainant’s vehicle. They reportedly told him they would take the parts back if he didn’t call law enforcement. Officials say when the complainant told the suspects he had already called, the suspects ran down the road and into the woods, leaving their vehicle and stolen property behind.

Alto P.D. officers were the first on scene and advised responding sheriff’s deputies of the suspects’ description and where they were last seen running into the woods, according to authorities. Upon the arrival of deputies and investigators, a search perimeter was set up in the area. About 15 minutes into the search, one of the suspects reportedly stepped out of the wood line on CR 2610 to flag down a passing vehicle. Officials say that vehicle was one of the unmarked investigators’ vehicles. According to officials, the investigator pulled over, and when he exited his vehicle, the suspect turned to flee, but instead gave up and was placed into custody without incident. The second suspect was located within 20 minutes and was also taken into custody without incident.

Michael Heath Emmons (25 years old from Henderson; pictured at top) and Ricky Lee Schakosky (28 years old from Nacogdoches; pictured at bottom) were booked into the Cherokee County Jail on charges of burglary of a building, a state jail felony. Bonds were set at $4,000 for each suspect as they were arraigned by Justice of the Peace Pct. 3 Judge Grimes on June 6. Officials say other charges may be filed, pending the outcome of the investigation.