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Airplane thief suspect caught
while fleeing
Suspected airplane thief misses court date,
identified by feds on return from Mexico trip
Monitor Staff Reports
ATHENS–In less than two weeks, officials recaptured a man wanted for the
theft of an airplane from the Athens Municipal Airport back in March,
and on subsequent federal charges for fleeing from a Texas-Mexico border
agent.
Law enforcement caught up with Calhoun in Wood County Sunday, after
narrowly missing him in Eustace Saturday night.
When Joshua Paul Calhoun, 28, of Brownsboro, failed to appear in the
173rd District Court July 23, District Attorney Scott McKee sought an
arrest warrant on him.
Later that day, Calhoun tried to reenter the United States from Mexico
over the international bridge in Roma, according to a criminal complaint
filed in the Untied States District Court.
When federal authorities attempted to detain him, Calhoun took off in a
1993 Ford F-250 truck, injuring a federal agent in the process.
Authorities suspected he would be making his way back to Henderson
County.
Capt. Kay Langford with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office said a
“sting” had been set up to catch Calhoun, who was driving east on U.S.
Highway 175 in a ’97 black and silver Dodge pickup, headed toward
Athens, when an officer shot out two of his tires Saturday.
Calhoun than abandoned the car and took off on foot.
The vehicle was later found on Porter’s Bluff, Langford said.
Sunday, Calhoun had taken another vehicle, this time a new truck with
GPS, which enabled authorities to establish his location and make the
arrest without further incident.
March 4, Calhoun was arrested for allegedly stealing and crashing an
airplane from the Athens Municipal Airport.
Calhoun returned to the airport to pick up his truck, and a witness
pointed him out to police while giving his statement.
According to an Athens Police Department report, Calhoun claimed that he
purchased the plane over the Internet with $52,000 he had earned while
working in the oil fields.
He said he then flew the plane to family property near Echo Lake in
Brownsboro, and gave the keys to a friend to fly back to the airport. It
was the friend who crashed the plane, he claimed. Police found the man
Calhoun claimed crashed the plane died in October, 2008.
Shortly after the activation of a warrant for his failure to appear in
court over the incident, border security asked Calhoun about the purpose
of his visit into Mexico July 23.
He told federal agents he was a doctor who was scouting locations for a
new medical office there, according to the federal criminal complaint.
Calhoun’s outstanding warrant turned up on a computer check. When bridge
security asked him to step outside of his truck, Calhoun took off
instead.
A female agent, who had reached into the driver’s side window to remove
the keys, sustained bruises, a scratched right elbow and back injuries
before the truck managed to shake her loose.
Calhoun now faces federal charges for his high-speed flight from the
immigration checkpoint, in addition to the state theft charge and
failure to appear; also, evading arrest with a motor vehicle and on
foot; and theft of property ($100,000 to $200,000) from Wood County.
Bonds total $46,500.
However, he is also being held without bond on the federal warrant.
Drug arrest made at area hotel
Monitor Staff Reports
GUN BARREL CITY– Henderson County Drug Enforcement Unit investigators
stopped at the American Inn & Suites in Gun Barrel City, following a tip
of suspected drug activity Monday.
Upon approaching room 116, with knowledge of hotel management,
investigators found an open door and a woman standing nearby.
Yvett Michelle Manios, 24, gave her consent to search a small purse in
her possession, which contained a small amount of suspected
methamphetamine.
A thorough search of the room turned up a loaded 9mm handgun.
Also, investigators found numerous clear plastic baggies and a digital
scale believed to be used for packaging narcotics for sale.
Manios was charged with possession of a controlled substance, less than
4 grams, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Her bond had not been set by presstime.
Manios has an arrest record reaching back to 2005.
Pontoon boat turns driver
around
Monitor Photo/Barbara Gartman
A pickup truck pulling a pontoon boat, traveling eastbound on U.S.
Highway 175 at
approximately 4:30 p.m. Thursday experienced mechanical difficulty
causing the driver
to lose control. Kemp Police Officer Steven Crawley said it was possible
a trailer strut broke, sending it from side to side before whipping the
truck around in the opposite direction. No
one was hurt.
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