A Houston man has been charged after 91 storage units were allegedly burgled at separate sites along FM 3180 in Baytown, Texas, with deputies identifying and arresting a suspect within 24 hours.
Rayfield Beal was located in Houston after investigators used security camera footage and automated number plate readers to trace the vehicle believed to be connected to the break-ins, according to the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies initially identified the vehicle from footage gathered at the storage facilities. The following day, number plate reader data helped narrow the search to an area of Houston.
Authorities said Beal’s vehicle was then found at a local business. Chambers County deputies, assisted by officers from the Houston Police Department, arrested him at the scene.
Beal has been charged by the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office with multiple counts of burglary of a building. Houston police have also charged him with evading arrest and assaulting a peace officer in connection with his detention.
The allegations have not been tested in court, and it was not immediately clear whether Beal had entered pleas to the charges or retained legal representation.
Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said the case demonstrated the value of automated number plate readers when combined with conventional police work.
“The technology, combined with good police work, allowed us to identify and apprehend the suspect within 24-hours of receiving the first report, preventing further crime,” he said in a statement.
