Cowboy Crime
Texas Rangers help wrangle $1 million worth of stolen cowboy boots
It might sound like the plot of a Walker, Texas Ranger episode, but the news of a $1 million cowboy boot bust is very real. Carrollton police detectives were first notified of a large-scale cowboy boot theft in January, when a container holding 3,400 pairs of Justin and Tony Lama boots was stolen from the parking lot at Transpak, a packaging company on Hutton Drive.
In March, another 2,700 pairs of boots were taken from the same location. At that point, Carrollton police enlisted the help of the Texas Rangers.
On May 15 and 16, law enforcement officials recovered more than 6,000 pairs of cowboy boots from storage locations in Princeton, Dallas and Grand Prairie. The boots have an estimated value of $1 million.
Lonny Haschel, with the Texas Department of Public Safety, says the Texas Rangers got involved in the investigation because it spanned multiple counties. He says it's hard to say right now whether the thieves were specifically targeting cowboy boots or just happened upon the items in pursuit of cargo theft.
"As far as the sheer number of goods, it is definitely a significant find," Haschel says.
Six suspects have been arrested in connection with the case, though authorities are not releasing their names or mug shots at this time. In addition to the bevy of boots, the network of thieves also stole washers, dryers, tires and food products.
