NCSO and Game Wardens Recover Stolen Property, Arrest Wanted Man During CR 3103 Investigation

Donald Ray Buchanan, 43. Photo Courtesy of Newton County Sheriff's Office.

NEWTON COUNTY — What began as a simple follow-up on a stolen game camera turned into a bigger discovery for Newton County deputies and Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens Sunday afternoon.

Around 3:00 p.m. on October 5, Sheriff Colton Havard, Deputy Brent Sonnier, Sergeant Cagle, and Game Wardens Landon Spacek and Stephen Rhyne went to a home in the 100 block of County Road 3103 to continue their investigation.

When the team arrived, they spotted an alligator being kept inside a horse trailer — a sight that prompted a consensual search of the property. During that search, officers found Donald Ray Buchanan, who turned out to have an active warrant out of Hardin County for failure to appear on a possession of a controlled substance (PG1 >1G<4G) charge.

Photo Courtesy of Newton County Sheriff's Office

The search also led to the recovery of the stolen game camera and a 2011 Polaris Sportsman four-wheeler that had been previously reported stolen.

Photo Courtesy of Newton County Sheriff's Office

Buchanan was arrested without incident and taken to the Newton County Jail. Sheriff Havard expressed appreciation to the Texas Game Wardens for assisting with the investigation.