By Christin Coyne
ccoyne@mineralwellsindex.com

A van stolen from Mineral Wells on June 19 was recovered in Haltom City thanks to efforts of two Mineral Wells men, according to local business owner Loyd Thurman.

Jared Maston and Tommy Hawkins, who work for Maston Construction in Mineral Wells, said they recognized the van at an intersection in Fort Worth the morning it was stolen, called the police, and went after it.

They caught the driver of the van about 20 minutes later and about a mile and a half away as he was unloading the paint sprayer at a pawnshop, Maston and Hawkins said.

Bobby Joe Waybright, 45, of Fort Worth, was arrested and charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, according to Haltom City Police.

Thurman, who runs Thurman Custom Painting, said he let one of his employees take the business van home the evening of June 18.

According to the police report, a white 2006 Chevrolet van containing painting equipment was reported stolen from a residence in the 500 block of S.W. 18th Street June 19 between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m.

Thurman said he told his friend, Terry Maston, owner of Maston Construction and father of Jared Maston, about the theft that morning.

Jared Maston said he found out about the theft of the van from his father during an their morning break.

Because the two companies have worked together on projects for years, Jared Maston said he is familiar with Thurman’s vehicles and employees.

Hawkins, an employee of Maston’s, said the van was parked at his brother’s house when it was stolen.

After their break, Maston and Hawkins headed to Fort Worth to pick up some material, according to Maston, when he spotted the vehicle around 11 a.m.

“We were sitting at a red light [at the intersection of U.S. Highway 121 and Beach Street],” Maston said. “It was about to cross in front of us [on Beach Street].”

While Maston, who was driving, tried to follow the van, Hawkins used the phone to call the police.

“I called Loyd and my boss,” Hawkins said.

The license plates had been changed on the van and most of the decals on all

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sides of the vehicle had been scratched off, according to police, but some of the wording had been left on one side.

“If he hadn’t been lazy we might not have recognized it,” Hawkins said.

“He got away,” Maston said, so they went searching nearby streets for about half an hour.

“We must have run into 50 to 100 white vans,” Maston said.

Thurman said he was on the phone with the men when they spotted it the second time about a mile and a half away on Belknap Road.

“We pulled up in front of a pawnshop and blocked him in,” Maston said.

Maston and Hawkins said they recognized Waybright as a former employee of Thurman’s and former next-door neighbor to Hawkins’ brother, where the van was reported stolen, and saw him unloading the paint sprayer rig.

“You can’t imagine the look on his face,” Maston said. “We had no idea who was in it.”

“He said something like ‘just let me go guys’ and tried saying somebody else was with him,” Maston said.

“He darted and just took off,” Hawkins said. “We caught him at the gas station.”

They “dragged him back to the van” and about that time a Haltom City police officer arrived, according to Maston.

While the officer looked at the van and Maston went inside the pawnshop, Hawkins stood near Waybright, who decided to bolt again.

“He got a pretty good ways,” Hawkins said.

Maston said he came outside to see Hawkins pursuing Waybright on foot again.

Maston estimated Hawkins and Waybright ran about a quarter of a mile before Hawkins tackled Waybright and Maston arrived to help.

During the struggle, Waybright allegedly bit Hawkins on the left arm, leaving teeth marks, according to Hawkins.

Maston said they had attracted attention by then and people were yelling for the men to leave Waybright alone.

More police officers arrived at that point, according to Maston, and Waybright was put in handcuffs.

Hawkins said the second time Waybright ran, he tossed the key to the van.

Waybright was fired from Thurman Custom Painting about four months ago for using a vehicle without permission, according to Thurman.

Police found keys to Thurman’s shop and his other vehicles in Waybright’s possession, according to Thurman.

Waybright was also wanted on two Fort Worth traffic warrants, according to Haltom City police.

Thurman received his van back that same afternoon after police released it into Hawkins’ possession to drive back to Mineral Wells.

Though the van sustained $3,000 in damage when the decals were removed and the ladders were missing by the time Maston and Hawkins saw the van the second time, he may have lost his van, $4,000 worth of equipment in it and anything later taken using the stolen keys, Thurman said.

“It was a pretty awesome deal,” Thurman said.

Thurman said he bought Maston and Hawkins gift cards to thank them for recovering his vehicle.

“It was a wild coincidence,” Hawkins said. “What are the odds of finding him the first time and then again?”

“I don’t really run into that kind of thing,” Maston said of the odd story.