Arrest Warrants Issued for Man Accused of Burglary and Evading Arrest

(New Braunfels, TX) --  One man has been arrested and arrest warrants have been issued for another man believed to be involved in the theft of a large amount of copper wiring from a local building. 

The crime was discovered early yesterday morning, around 2:10am, when an officer on patrol in the 600 block of Oasis approached the backside of the now-closed Ryan’s Steakhouse restaurant and saw a van leaving the parking lot.  The officer then saw the van turn into the Grand Cypress Apartments where the driver attempted to punch in various gate codes, all unsuccessfully.  So the officer conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the two males inside, noting that both men had damp clothing as if they had been swimming or sweating profusely recently. 

The driver was asked to step out of the vehicle, and while the officer was interviewing him, the man bolted, running in the direction of the Guadalupe River.  But the officer kept his cool, and instead of taking off after the suspect, he stayed with the van and the passenger, placing him in handcuffs and calling for backup officers.  That’s when officers got a look at the inside of the van and discovered numerous loose tools on the back floorboard, including bolt cutters.  And there was also a large roll of black insulated wire or cable used for industrial grade electrical purposes.

As officers searched the area for the fleeing driver, others went back to the Ryan’s Restaurant and found that someone had broken into the vacant building through the front doors and had striped a large amount of wiring from the building, causing substantial damage. 

So the passenger of the van, identified as 40-year old Courtney Jamal Nichols of San Antonio (left), was arrested for burglary of a building and copper theft less than 20-thousand dollars, both of which are state jail felonies.  His bond was set at 15-thousand dollars and at last check he remained in custody at the Comal County Jail.

Meanwhile, officers have since been able to identify the driver that fled and eventually escaped, and now three warrants have been issued for his arrest.  49-year old Tommy Lee Coker (above, right) is wanted for burglary of a building, evading arrest, and failure to identify.  Total bonds with those warrants are at 24-thousand dollars. 

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call New Braunfels Police at 221-4100 or call Crimestoppers anonymously at 620-TIPS.