TEXARKANA, Texas — The Texarkana Police Department arrested two people after looting a home that was in the process of being remodeled while calling in a fake shooting to distract officers to avoid arrest.
Police officers responded to a report of a man and a woman trespassing a vacant home in the Highland Park neighborhood on Wednesday, Sept. 27.
The owner of the house was in the process of renovating, when two individuals came in and started going through her things inside the home.
When police arrived at the residency they found Joseph Denton in the yard. He told officers that he and a female friend were there because the alleged owner gave them permission to take "whatever they wanted from the carport".
Denton wasn't aware that the owner of the home already made the officers aware of the false information he gave them.
Officers then proceeded to arrest Denton and during the body search they discovered hidden meth inside of his shirt pocket.
While arresting Denton, police received a 911 call from a woman saying she had been shot by a man at a local Walmart at the North Stateline.
Arriving to the scene, officers discovered that nothing was happening in the Walmart parking lot.
Tracing back the ping on the phone used for the 911 call, police discovered it came from inside the home where officers arrested Denton.
With the owner's permission, officers went into the home and found his female friend, April Collvins hiding in the attic.
Police say that Collvins saw Denton getting arrested and tried to steer the police away with making a fake 911 call.
Both of the individuals were arrested and booked into the Bi-State Jail.
Denton was charged with criminal trespass and possession of a controlled substance while Collvins was charged with criminal trespass and communicating a false report.