Three Texas men accused of trying to rob a marijuana grow operation near Maysville were arrested in Purcell Sunday morning following a high-speed pursuit from Garvin County and a manhunt that lasted several hours.
Garvin County Sheriff Jim Mullett said the attempted armed robbery of the grow operation is similar to crimes that have occurred in Stephens, Cleveland, McClain and Grady counties in recent months.
“We are aware of nine individuals arrested in surrounding counties for robbery or attempted robberies of marijuana grows,” Mullett said in a statement released this week. “We have joined forces with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the Attorney General’s office to collaborate on these investigations. Preliminary findings suggest these individuals are associated with a gang based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.”
Mullett said in the other robberies, marijuana, cash and vehicles were stolen.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Sunday’s events unfolded when a Maysville Police officer attempted to stop a silver Lexus sedan that had run a stop sign in Maysville just before 3 a.m. Sunday. The traffic stop escalated into a high-speed pursuit north on Highway 74, with speeds exceeding 100 mph.
Initially, the Maysville officer was unaware the vehicle he was pursuing was occupied by five armed men who had just attempted to rob a marijuana grow operation west of Maysville. According to Mullett, that information did not reach authorities until after the pursuit was underway because private security personnel who worked for the grow did not immediately report the incident to the Garvin County 911 center.
As the pursuit extended into McClain County, the Purcell Police Department and the McClain County Sheriff’s Office joined the chase. The suspects’ vehicle crashed near downtown Purcell, and the occupants fled on foot.
Law enforcement officers recovered at least two guns in and near the suspects’ vehicle, according to court records.
Multiple agencies, including the McClain County Sheriff’s Office, Purcell Police Department, Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma City Police Department air unit, and Lexington Police Department, began a search for the suspects that lasted through mid-morning.
Three men, 26-year-old Willie Clark, 26-year-old Jeremihy Dews and 22-year-old Daekwon Jackson, were located and taken into custody. Authorities were unable to locate two other unidentified men believed to have been in the suspects’ vehicle.
As the investigation continued to develop Sunday, court records indicate authorities learned the men had been at the Maysville grow facility Saturday morning, nearly 24-hours before Sunday’s pursuit.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case, the grow facility’s manager told investigators five men cut a perimeter fence surrounding the property around 4 a.m. Saturday morning and entered at least three buildings, one by forcing open a locked door with a pry bar. The manager provided video surveillance to investigators that shows “five black males inside the buildings rummaging from room to room.”
The affidavit says one of the suspects arrested Sunday told investigators they were looking for finished marijuana but were only able to find live plants, so they identified where the grow workers slept and left without taking anything.
They returned Sunday morning with several armed men in at least three vehicles intending to rob the grow facility, according to the affidavit. As they made their way to the facility, at least one of the vehicles encountered an armed private security guard on a rural bridge near the grow, at which point they all turned around and left.
It was while they were leaving the area, the Maysville officer tried to stop the Lexus sedan Jackson, Dews and Clark were in and the pursuit ensued.
Jackson, Dews and Clark were arraigned Tuesday in Garvin County District Court. Each is facing seven felony counts including attempted burglary and attempted robbery, conspiracy to commit burglary and robbery, felony eluding and firearms charges. Jackson and Dews are each being held on a $125,000 bond, and Clark’s bond is set at $100,000.
