Three Jailed Following Attempted Robbery and Manhunt

Three suspects are in jail this afternoon after attempting to rob a residence at gunpoint this morning south of La Grange.

Two of the suspects, 20-year-old Jalen Almeida of Weimar and 22-year-old Deairreon Oliver of La Grange, were apprehended as soon as deputies arrived at the scene. The other suspect, 20-year-old Arthur Shepert of La Grange, was found two hours later hiding under a stack of hay in a nearby barn.

According to a report from Sheriff Keith Korenek, a 911 call came in at 7:30 a.m. reporting shots fired at a residence on US 77 near Knape Road, about 8 miles south of La Grange. The caller, a teenage female, stated that three black males wearing masks held a gun to her head after she walked out of the home toward her vehicle. The caller stated that the subjects fled on foot into a pasture.

Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office, DPS Troopers, Schulenburg Police and a game warden from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department all responded to the scene.

Upon arrival, Deputies Bennett, Bohlmann and Durrenberger apprehended Almeida and Oliver as they were trying to cross a fenceline at Knape Road. Shepert fled north on foot and remained at large for about two hours. Sheriff Korenek requested a DPS helicopter, which arrived a short time later to assist with the search.

The officers spotted him in a ravine and set up a perimeter in the area. Sgt. Randy Thumann and his K-9 partner Lobos tracked the suspect to a barn, where they found him hiding under a stack of hay.

One suspect was transported for minor injuries received while trying to cross the fence at Knape Road. All three were booked into the Dan R. Beck Justice Center on charges of aggravated robbery and engaging in organized criminal activity.