{"id":115093,"date":"2026-01-08T04:35:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T04:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/115093\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T04:35:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T04:35:11","slug":"notorious-tailgate-theft-suspect-arrested-after-weeks-on-the-run-linked-to-20k-theft-spree-in-nw-harris-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/115093\/","title":{"rendered":"Notorious tailgate theft suspect arrested after weeks on the run, linked to $20K theft spree in NW Harris County"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine discovering the tailgate has been stolen from your pickup truck\u2014and then, while searching online for a cheap replacement, finding your own stolen tailgate posted for sale.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly how an infamous tailgate theft suspect was identified and taken into custody. After receiving felony probation for that arrest, the suspect was linked to multiple other tailgate thefts.<\/p>\n

After weeks on the run, Harris County Constable Precinct 4 officials confirmed to KPRC 2 that Samuel Worthy, 19, was in custody.<\/p>\n

Worthy was previously identified as a wanted suspect in December, accused of orchestrating a spree and stealing more than $20,000 worth of tailgates.<\/p>\n

Precinct 4 deputies recovered eight stolen truck tailgates from Worthy\u2019s reported residence in Tomball back in December. Several of the recovered tailgates have already been returned to their owners. <\/p>\n

OUR FIRST REPORT: More than $20K in stolen truck tailgates recovered; suspect wanted<\/a><\/p>\n

The case first broke open after a victim whose truck tailgate had been stolen began searching Facebook Marketplace for a replacement. During that search, the victim spotted a listing for a tailgate that appeared to be his\u2014the very one recently taken from his truck.<\/p>\n

Sources told KPRC 2 that the online listing also helped investigators reconnect the stolen property to Worthy during the investigation that led to the first arrest.<\/p>\n

Later, investigators linked more than 20 thefts across Harris County to Worthy after identifying a pattern involving an older-model Chevrolet Malibu seen at multiple scenes.<\/p>\n

Worthy was reportedly arrested on Jan. 1, but court records indicate he wasn\u2019t booked until Jan. 2. He has been charged three counts of theft of more than $2,500 but under $30,000.<\/p>\n

Worthy is due to appear in court on Friday, Jan. 9. He has been denied bail at this time.<\/p>\n

Officials are urging residents to remain vigilant, secure their vehicles, and report suspicious activity\u2014especially online listings that may involve stolen property.<\/p>\n

Breaking News Alerts<\/p>\n

More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Imagine discovering the tailgate has been stolen from your pickup truck\u2014and then, while searching online for a cheap…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":115094,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[294,405,56,58,57,66,223,5502,33933],"class_list":{"0":"post-115093","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-crime","9":"tag-harris-county","10":"tag-houston","11":"tag-houston-headlines","12":"tag-houston-news","13":"tag-local","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-theft","16":"tag-tomball"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115093"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115093\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}