THREE CHARGED WITH MURDER IN AUSTIN CO. TRACTOR THEFT INVESTIGATION

  

Three suspects have been taken into custody on murder charges in Austin County, stemming from a fatality last week that occurred during the theft of a tractor.

The Austin County Sheriff’s Office responded on September 16^th to the 15000 block of FM 1094, near Cat Spring, for a report of a 20-year-old male who was unconscious and not breathing.  Authorities arrived and found the subject receiving CPR from a relative, but upon taking over CPR, it was determined he was already deceased. 

In a release today (Thursday), the sheriff’s office identified the man as Chase Dorman.  It also says Dorman was allegedly attempting to steal a tractor when he was run over by the same tractor.  According to witnesses, immediately after the tractor was stolen, it was stopped to adjust the gears/transmission, at which time the tractor ran over Dorman. 

During the investigation, several suspects were identified as participating in the tractor theft and the death of Dorman.  They were identified as 18-year-old Michael Frank Ford and 17-year-old William Bradley LaRoche of the Magnolia area, as well as 25-year-old Curtis Earl Mosley Jr. of Austin County.

Arrest warrants were issued for the three suspects on Tuesday for first degree felony murder.  With the assistance of the Montgomery County Precinct 5 Constable’s Office, Ford and LaRoche were arrested early Wednesday morning and will be transferred to Austin County to appear in court.  Meanwhile, Mosley was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshal’s Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force.

The investigation was led by the Austin County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division with help from the Colorado County Sheriff’s Office, Montgomery County Precinct 5 Constable’s Office, Austin County District Attorney’s Office and U.S. Marshal’s Service Violent Offender Task Force.