It’s a crime that would make any Texan quake in their boots — two men stole $600 worth of brisket from a church charity event in North Texas last Friday.
Irving city councilman Dennis Webb hauled his two smokers outside the Bear Creek Community Church on Friday afternoon, ready to prepare his famous brisket for the church’s annual fundraising dinner. A self-described meat-smoking hobbyist, Webb was looking forward to making a hot day even hotter as he tended to the 20 briskets on his smokers.
When he walked away for a moment, Webb said the “brisket bandits” saw an opening.
“These two guys walked onto the parking lot, and within about 10 minutes, walked off with two briskets,” Webb said.
The councilman estimates that each brisket was worth about $300, accounting for the cost of materials and the 13 hours it takes to prepare the meat. This means the theft could be classified as a Class B misdemeanor under Texas law, since the stolen property is more than $100 but less than $750.
Webb, who is also the senior pastor at Bear Creek Community Church, filed a police report to document the incident. He said he also found security footage from the church’s cameras that shows two young men walking away with the meat. Maria Herring, a spokesperson from the Irving Police Department, wrote in a statement that the department is investigating the case and waiting for Webb to share the security footage.
Despite the theft, Webb said the church still had enough barbecue to serve community members at the Many Helping Hands fundraiser — but just barely.
“It was more just a shock or frustration,” Webb said. “The nerve of these people — people this bold and brazen that they will steal in broad daylight.”
According to a Wednesday afternoon Facebook post from Webb, one of the suspects arrived at the church’s homeless day center for services, without knowing he had been caught on camera.
“He confessed and shared the name of his accomplice,” Webb wrote in the post. “He told the officers they took the briskets and walked from Bear Creek Church all the way to downtown Irving and fed homeless people with the briskets!”
Delaney Brey, a spokesperson for the Irving Police Department, confirmed that the individual was homeless and regularly goes to the church for meals. She wrote in a statement that the man was issued a ticket.
Webb wants to see the men held accountable for their actions — but not through fines or jail time. Instead, he wants to see each of the “brisket bandits” come back to the church to complete 200 hours of community service each.
“Then I’ll feed them brisket for lunch,” he said.