EL PASO, TEXAS — A truck driver was arrested in El Paso County after deputies said he refused to return a shipping container, trailer chassis, and about 43,000 pounds of fiber-optic cable worth $155,000 following a dispute over his final payment.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 13100 block of Montana Avenue on Friday, November 6, after a report of the theft. Deputies learned the driver had been contracted to haul the shipment from Santa Teresa, New Mexico. After the shipment was canceled, the driver reportedly refused to return the property because of a dispute over his final payment.
Detectives found the semi-truck, trailer chassis, and shipping container at a property along Montana Avenue and identified the driver as Laron Lenard Watts, 38. Watts was arrested and charged with theft of property valued at $150,000 or more but less than $300,000. His bond was set at $10,000.
Detectives executed a search warrant and recovered the shipping container, trailer chassis, and the roughly 43,000 pounds of fiber-optic cable. The semi-truck was seized as part of the investigation.
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