Dollar store thefts lead to arrests, ongoing investigation

Published 4:06 pm Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Two people were arrested Monday in connection to a string of thefts at dollar stores in Smith County.

Nigel Harris, 56, and Aineda Johnson, 58, of Tyler, are accused of theft at Dollar General stores, according to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities have also identified another suspect involved in the incidents.

Officers responded to a theft call around 11:30 a.m. Monday at the Dollar General Market in Whitehouse, located at at 701 Hwy. 110 South. When officers got there, the suspects fled the area in what was described as a black Nissan Titan pick-up.

About 20 minutes later, Smith County deputies responded to a theft at Dollar General in Flint. It was determined both thefts involved the same man and woman, who entered the store, filled grocery carts with merchandise, then left.

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.

At about 12:30 p.m., investigators located the suspect vehicle near the intersection of Claude and Confederate in Tyler.

Three suspects were identified with the truck, and two of the suspects, Harris and Johnson, had outstanding warrants for drug-related charges.

Further investigation revealed these suspects, as well as additional known suspects, have allegedly been involved in a multitude of similar theft cases, including locations in Bullard, Tyler, Whitehouse and other areas of Smith County.

Smith County investigators will be handling these theft cases, and additional charges are expected within the next few days for a number of suspects.

Harris was booked into the Smith County Jail on warrants for possession of a controlled substance PG 1 and parole violation with bonds totaling $150,000. Johnson was booked into the Smith County Jail on a warrant for possession of a controlled substance PG 1 with a bond of $30,000.

This is an ongoing investigation with likely additional charges and arrests.