Two suspects were arrested after  Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department officers on patrol discovered a crime in progress.

Chief Deputy Shane Tucker said two suspects were arrested as a result of the investigation, 18-year-old Walter Mason of 610 Charlotte Dr., and 20-year-old Jeffrey McDowell of 1210 Pinewood Ave.

In the early morning hours of July 2, Cpl. Joe Quave and Deputy Christopher Robbins were patrolling HSI Ready Mix, located off Jackson Landing Road, due to a rash of trespassing and thefts when they noticed a strange vehicle parked near the business that had a number of metal items in the back.

Closer inspection of the vehicle discovered electric motors, valves, drums, and large pieces of metal in the rear of the vehicle, and at that time Quave saw Mason running away, Tucker said. Quave knew Mason from prior encounters and called him by name, demanding he stop running, which Mason refused to do.

“In fact he ran out of one of his shoes, which we recovered,” Tucker said.

While Mason escaped that night investigators began calling his family members to locate him, who were cooperative, Tucker said. The next day Mason turned himself in to the Sheriff’s Department and was charged with grand larceny, trespassing and resisting arrest by fleeing.

Continued investigation by Detective Scott Wagner led to the identification of a second suspect, McDowell, who was later arrested and charged with grand larceny, Tucker said.

The estimated value of the items is $6,800, but if scrapped would have earned the would-be thieves a quarter of that value. Tucker said the investigation shows the suspects were possibly going to sell the items for scrap, but the items have since been returned to the business.