Multiple arrests made in connection with vehicle burglaries at Austin-area parks

AUSTIN, Texas - Nine people have been arrested and charged in connection with vehicle burglaries at Austin-area parks.

The Austin Police Department says its North Metro Tactical Response Unit collaborated with Region 1 Criminal Investigations Division, patrol, APD Financial Crimes, the Travis County Parks Police, and Austin Parks & Recreation to build a proactive enforcement response to the burglaries.

The operation was to target known offenders in an effort to reduce the number of incidents, says APD.

The arrests

APD says it made 11 arrests for offenses varying from engaging in organized criminal activity, failure to identify, request to apprehend, burglary of a vehicle, and driving without a license.

Armynie White arrests on Jan. 31/Feb. 13

21-year-old Armynie White was arrested twice.

She has been charged with:

• Engaging in organized criminal activity, state jail felony
• Failure to identify as a fugitive, a Class A misdemeanor (twice)
• Probation violation

What we know:

On Friday, Jan. 31, at around 7:30 p.m., Austin police officers responded to a report of people seen "pulling door handles" in the parking lot of Covert Park at Mount Bonnell.

The caller identified the suspect's vehicle as a white Honda Accord and provided a license plate number, which APD says was recognized from previous reports, including other vehicle burglaries at other parks.

The caller was also able to give police specific descriptions of the suspects and told officers the suspects were using a tool to break car windows.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found persons of interest "in close proximity" to the suspect's vehicle and found a car with a shattered front window. The car's owner reported her purse was missing. A search of the area recovered the purse, minus the woman's bank cards.

A female suspect identified herself as an individual with an active warrant, and she was subsequently arrested, says APD. Officers also reported seeing evidence of vehicle burglaries within the suspect's vehicle, and it was impounded. 

A search warrant uncovered multiple items, including the woman's bank cards and property belonging to a man who had been detained earlier, including:

• A balaclava face mask
• A glove
• A screwdriver
• Cash
• A small amount of methamphetamine and fentanyl
• Many gift cards believed to have been purchased with stolen credit cards

The woman who was arrested was later found to have a window punch tool and the keys to the suspect's Honda concealed in her sock. She was also found to have provided a false identity and was positively identified as White.

On Feb. 5, an arrest warrant was issued for White, charging her with a probation violation related to a prior aggravated assault with a deadly weapon conviction.

White was located during a Feb. 13 traffic stop in the 10500 block of Wild Horse Ranch where she once again allegedly provided a false name, leading to another failure to identify as a fugitive charge.

A search of White found her to be in possession of 34 gift cards, which are believed to have been purchased with stolen debit and credit cards.

Heaven Carter, Deshauna Penson, Jai Ana Smith, and Jamila Westmoreland arrests on Feb. 16

24-year-old Heaven Carter, 27-year-old Deshauna Penson, 27-year-old Jai Ana Smith, and 27-year-old Jamila Westmoreland have been charged with:

• Credit/debit card abuse, state jail felony
• Engaging in organized crime, third-degree felony
• Burglary of a vehicle, Class A misdemeanor

Carter and Westmoreland were also charged with Failure to Identify and Smith was charged with Unlawful Use of Criminal Instrument (Class B misdemeanor) and Tampering with Physical Evidence (third-degree felony).

What we know:

On Feb. 16, just before 4 p.m., officers responded to the 2300 block of City Park Road, near Emma Long Metropolitan Park, for reports of four people looking into vehicles.

Officers spoke with a victim who had been hiking and returned to find their car window shattered and was missing their purse with a wallet inside containing their banking cards.

Less than two hours later, officers were patrolling on Redbud Trail about 10 miles away from the reported burglary when they came across a possible suspect vehicle. 

Officers began to follow the vehicle, which was traveling at a high rate of speed. Officers initiated a traffic stop, and detained four individuals, later identified as Carter, Penson, Smith, and Westmoreland.

A search of the vehicle uncovered multiple gift cards, suspected to have been bought with stolen debit and credit cards.

Rickeisha Thompson arrest on Feb. 20

26-year-old Rickeisha Thompson has been charged with credit/debit card abuse, a state jail felony.

What we know:

On Jan. 31, officers responded to a reported vehicle burglary at Red Bud Isle Park where they met with a victim who said her vehicle's window had been broken, and her purse had been stolen. 

The victim also reported her stolen bank cards had been used at a nearby Target to conduct a fraudulent purchase.

A witness captured an image of the suspect's vehicle, a gray Honda Accord, which detectives learned was registered to Thompson.

Detectives identified the two women who had used the bank cards as Thompson and one other person, who were both charged with credit/debit card abuse. 

On Feb. 20, officers stopped a vehicle and identified Thompson as the driver and took her into custody on the outstanding warrant.

Natayla Jackson, Destiny Thomas, Heaven Carter, and Jamila Westmoreland arrests on Feb. 24

On Feb. 24, APD says it was made aware that Carter was released on bond from her Feb. 16 arrest, and there was an open case involving her, 22-year-old Destiny Thomas and a third female. 

The three had been identified as suspects in a vehicle burglary at Bull Creek Park in August 2024. Arrest warrants charging Carter and Thomas with third-degree felony engaging in organized crime were obtained.

Officers later found Carter in a vehicle with Westmoreland, 23-year-old Natayla Jackson, and another woman.

Carter was arrested on an outstanding warrant and Westmoreland was arrested for a traffic violation.

Jackson was arrested on an outstanding third-degree felony engaging in organized criminal actitvity warrant related to a vehicle burglary at the Pennybacker Bridge on Jan. 30.

Officers also learned Destiny Thomas was in custody at the Lockhart Correctional Facility and sent a detainer to hold her on the outstanding warrant.

Artaell Vincent arrest on Feb. 26

32-year-old Artaell Vincent has been charged with burglary of a vehicle, a Class A misdemeanor.

On Feb. 4, a victim reported that they had parked their vehicle at Bull Creek Park, and when they later returned to it, found a broken window.

Detectives identified the suspect as Vincent based on camera footage of the incident, says APD.

On Feb. 26, Vincent turned himself in at the Travis County Jail.

What's next:

APD says this is an ongoing investigation with additional arrests pending.

What you can do:

APD shared some tips to avoid becoming a victim of vehicle burglaries:

1. Always Lock Your Doors: Ensure that your vehicle doors and windows are securely closed and locked, even if you are only leaving for a short period.
2. Hide Valuables: Keep any valuables out of sight, or better yet, take them with you. Items such as bags, electronics, and even loose change can attract unwanted attention.
3. Park in Well-Lit Areas: Whenever possible, park in well-lit, populated areas. Thieves are less likely to target vehicles in locations with high visibility and foot traffic.
4. Use Anti-Theft Devices: Consider investing in steering wheel locks, alarms, or GPS tracking devices to deter potential thieves.
5. Be Aware of Your Surroundings: Stay vigilant and aware of your surroundings when parking or returning to your vehicle and report any suspicious activity.
6. Install a Dash Camera: Find a camera that can record when a car is parked and off, or has sensors that can detect motion or impact near the vehicle. Having video evidence of a potential suspect can help detectives in solving your case.

Anyone with any information may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest.

If you are a victim of a crime currently happening, APD says to call 911. Anyone who has been a victim of a crime no longer in progress is encouraged to create a non-emergency report by calling 311 or clicking here to report online.

Crime and Public SafetyAustin