ACADIA PARISH — Police in Duson have obtained arrest warrants for a Texas man accused of stealing critical engine components from two semi‑trucks last week, rendering the vehicles inoperable and causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Duson Police Chief Kip Judice said 25‑year‑old Jalen Purnell Green of Missouri City, Texas, is wanted on two counts of burglary of a vehicle after investigators linked him to the theft of Engine Control Modules (ECMs) from Freightliner tractor trucks parked in the 3000 block of Daulat Road on Nov. 21.
ECMs, which cost between $3,000 and $5,000 to replace, are essential for a truck’s operation.
Investigators, working with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Real Time Crime Center, tracked the suspect’s rented 2025 black Hyundai Palisade with Texas plates through several Louisiana towns before it crossed the state line within hours of the burglaries. The next morning, the vehicle was spotted in Beaumont, Texas, where Beaumont police stopped it for a traffic violation and detained Green and two passengers.
A search of the SUV turned up an ECM, but all three occupants denied being in Louisiana. Initial surveillance footage was too poor in quality to confirm an identity.
Judice said further review of license plate reader and security camera footage showed the suspect vehicle stopping at a Texaco station just seven miles west of Duson minutes after leaving the crime scene, with Green as the sole occupant. Police said his clothing in that video matched what was seen in the burglary footage.
Warrants were issued in Lafayette Parish, each carrying a $50,000 bond with a $10,000 cash requirement due to Green’s out‑of‑state residence and denial of being in Louisiana.
Judice credited the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office and Beaumont Police Department for their cooperation. “Law enforcement working together causes all kind of havoc for criminals,” he said.
Green had bonded out of the Jefferson County Jail in Texas before the warrants were issued. He is now listed in a nationwide database of wanted persons. Anyone with information should contact local law enforcement.
