Meat thieves apprehended

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  • Courville's burglary
    Courville's burglary
  • Tomas Moraida
    Tomas Moraida
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Darryl Johnson
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Two men accused of stealing 150 pounds of meat right off the grill are in the custody of the Jefferson County Jail, each on bonds totaling a quarter-million dollars. The meat the thieves allegedly absconded with was meant for family, friends and police officers attending the funeral of Beaumont Police Officer Sheena Yarbrough-Powell, killed by a drunk driver while on duty Aug. 9.

Details released from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office report that Friday, Aug. 15, around 5:20 a.m., Courville’s Catering on Rose Lane at Hwy. 90 in Beaumont was burglarized. Surveillance video at the restaurant captured the images of two men tearing into the cash register and stealing other items from the restaurant to include five briskets.

One of the suspects, 51-year-old Tomas Moraida, was arrested later that day and charged with burglary of a building, criminal mischief and theft. His bond was set at $250,000. Tipsters led authorities to the second suspect, 57-year-old Darryl Johnson of Beaumont, on Aug. 17. Johnson’s bond, too, was set at $250,000.

“Everyone is curious,” Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office PIO Crystal Holmes reported after deputies arrested the first suspect and seized the truck believed to have been used to haul the stolen goods from Courville’s, “we did not recover the brisket.”