1 arrested, 1 wanted in connection with $100K worth of tire thefts

SLIDELL, La. – One man was arrested and Louisiana police said they want to find another Houston man in connection with an elaborate tire theft case.

Slidell police said late last month that tires and wheels were stolen off 31 vehicles. In all, 124 tires and wheels were stolen from the Matt Bowers Chevrolet dealership, totaling a loss of about $120,000.

Investigators were led to the Houston area and said they were able to identify 39-year-old Eric Summage of Humble and 44-year-old Riley Richardson of Houston as two of the primary suspects.

Summage was tracked down and arrested. He was charged with theft over $100,000.

“Because of the hard work of our detectives, we have put a big dent in this elaborate theft ring. One arrest has been made, and there will be several more to follow. One message has been made very clear to these individuals: don't come to Slidell, Louisiana, to commit your crimes. I told you we would come find you no matter where you were hiding, and I’ve held true to my promise. We aren’t stopping here. We will continue to identify, hunt down, and arrest everyone responsible for this theft. We are in contact with multiple law enforcement agencies and sharing information to ensure these individuals are brought to justice and held responsible for every single theft they have committed," Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandal said.

Richardson is still at large, police said, and is wanted by Slidell police.

Other suspects have been identified, but their identities have not been released to the public.

Police said the men have been linked to several thefts along the I-10 corridor. Authorities said they believe the pair is responsible for millions of dollars in tire thefts.

Summage and Richardson are also wanted by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.