All Suspects Captured After Day-Long Manhunt in South Jasper County

JASPER COUNTY, Texas — A day-long manhunt involving multiple law-enforcement agencies came to an end Wednesday afternoon after all three suspects connected to a stolen vehicle out of Beaumont were taken into custody in south Jasper County.

The incident began early Wednesday morning when three young Black males fled from a traffic stop and ran into a wooded area near County Road 803 and County Road 797, just east of Highway 62 in Buna. Their vehicle was later confirmed to be stolen out of Beaumont PD.

At 9:30 AM, Jasper County Sheriff Chuck Havard reported that the three suspects had split into two areas:

• Two suspects were last seen on County Road 804, running south into a wooded area.

• The third suspect fled west into the woods near County Road 796 off State Highway 62.

Deputies conducted interviews after arresting a person believed to be in the area to give the suspects a ride. Law enforcement urged residents to report any suspicious activity.

By 12:15 PM, deputies located and arrested one of the suspects — a 16-year-old juvenile — on Highway 62 just north of FM 2246. EMS evaluated the juvenile at the scene for injuries to his feet.

His name and photo are not being released due to his age.

The search intensified for the remaining two suspects. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office aircraft, a tracking-dog team, DPS, and multiple deputies continued pursuing leads throughout the wooded areas.

At approximately 2:34 PM, Sheriff Havard received a call from Hardin County Sheriff Mark Davis, who reported two men walking along FM 2246 in south Jasper County. Jasper County deputies were deployed immediately and detained both suspects without incident.

The two adults have been identified as:

• Ja’Shawn Thompson, 19, of Beaumont

• Rashode Wiltz, 21, of Beaumont

All three suspects were transported to the Jasper County Jail and are expected to face multiple charges. The investigation remains ongoing.

Sheriff Havard thanked the agencies and community members whose cooperation led to the successful conclusion of the search:

“A big shout-out to Hardin County Sheriff Mark Davis for providing the information that led to these arrests. I also want to thank our deputies, members of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office aircraft division, DPS, and all of our citizens for their assistance.”