Terry Boozer mug shot courtesy of Nacogdoches County Jail.
In what Nacogdoches County Sheriff Thomas Kerss said is a first in his 30 years of law enforcement, a stolen airplane was recovered on a private air strip Monday on CR 536.
Kerss said Henderson County authorities alerted Nacogdoches County last Friday to the theft of a Cessna 182 airplane from the Athens Municipal Airport and said the individual suspected of stealing it had Nacogdoches County ties.
That's when authorities locally began setting up a close watch on the county airport, as well as numerous private airstrips, Kerss said.
"This afternoon at about 4 p.m., we discovered that the plane had just landed a few minutes earlier at a private airstrip off CR 536," he said.
Deputies went to the location and recovered the plane, which still had a hot engine, he said.
Terry Boozer, 55, was arrested after a brief chase from an adjoining building at the airstrip where he had been, Kerss said.
Boozer is charged with felony theft, as well as evading arrest and has yet to see a judge to have bond set, according to jail records.
"The value of the plane is what makes it a felony theft," Kerss said "I don't have the exact value, but this is going to be upwards of a $100,000 recovery."
Pct. 1 Reserve Deputy Constable Clay Jones, who is also a pilot, flew the plane from the private airstrip to the A.L. Mangham, Jr. Regional Airport where the sheriff's department has secured a hanger to store the plane until Henderson County authorities arrive, Kerss said.
"In 30 years of law enforcement, I've recovered a lot of stolen property, but this is the first time I've seen a stolen airplane recovered," he said. "We appreciate the cooperative effort of all the participating officers, as well as some citizens who have helped us keep an eye out."
Boozer is no stranger to Nacogdoches County law enforcement. He was arrested in November 2011 on charges of possession of a controlled substance, delivery of a controlled substance, possession of certain chemicals with intent to manufacture methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Boozer spent nearly two years in prison in the early 1990s for drug charges, as well, according to records found on publicdata.com.
NACOGDOCHES COUNTY, Texas (KTRE) - Deputies with the Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Office have recovered an airplane reported stolen from a hangar at the Athens Municipal Airport.
Sheriff Thomas Kerss said the Cessna 182 was recovered at a private airstrip on County Road 536. At 6 p.m., it was being flown to the Nacogdoches County airport, where it will stay until the owners come to claim it.
Kerss said deputies have arrested Terry Lynn Boozer, 56, where he will be charged with felony theft, as well as evading arrest, as he tried to run away from deputies during the arrest.
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The plane was reported stolen in late January.
Kerss opted not to comment for now on how investigators traced the plane to Boozer.
"In my 30 years of law enforcement, this is the first time we recovered a stolen airplane," Kerss said.
Boozer was also arrested in November in connection to a seizure of a meth lab in Nacogdoches County.
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