Men accused of stealing 20,000 pound oil field pump

NEWTON COUNTY - by Steve Stewart/KJAS - Three people were arrested just north of Kirbyville early Monday and are accused of stealing a large piece of oil field equipment in Newton County.

Jasper County Deputy Mike Smith says he was on routine patrol on Highway 96, just north of Kirbyville, at about 5 a.m. when he spotted a 1/2 ton Dodge pickup truck struggling to pull a 16 foot lowboy trailer with a ten-ton oil pump on it. Smith said the truck had a flat tire and one wheel on the trailer was completely gone. According to Smith, the truck and trailer were creating a huge shower of sparks on the highway, which caught his attention.

Smith said he tried to stop the truck but the driver refused to pull over and continued for nearly two miles at about 45 miles-per-hour.

The driver finally stopped at his residence, which was on Highway 96, about two miles north of Kirbyville.

Smith arrested the driver, 51-year-old Barney Paul Green, for warrants out of Jasper County. The two passengers were also arrested. Their names have not been released pending formal charges and arraignment. Chief Deputy Ralph Nichols says all three are expected to be charged with possession of stolen property and evading arrest, with other charges possible in Newton County.

According to Smith, the men claimed that the oil field company gave them the pump, which is valued at more than $100,000.00.

However, Newton County Chief Deputy Paul Brister says the company that owns the equipment is telling a different story. Brister says the pump came from an oil well site belonging to Merit Energy and their workers arrived at the site this morning to discover that the pump was gone.

The big question was how did three men load the 20,000 pound piece of equipment onto a trailer by themselves? Brister says a main valve was cut from the pump and then the trailer was backed underneath it. Then the supports were cut and the pump dropped onto the trailer.

According to KJAS archives, Barney Green was arrested and charged with felony theft in July of this year and was out of jail on bond when he was arrested Monday morning.