Police: Burglary suspect found asleep in pickup

HOUSTON

Alvin resident Brandon Eric Arnold was arrested shortly after midnight Monday when an officer spotted him slumped over the steering wheel of a running truck parked in a ditch in the 2400 block of West Parkwood, according to a Friendswood Police Department press release.

When the officer approached, he saw an air conditioner and several other large metal items were in the bed of the truck. At a nearby closed business, police noticed the doors to a diesel generator behind the building were open and diesel fuel spilled in the parking lot.

Officers turned off the engine of the truck and woke up the driver, who they say became aggressive. Authorities started checking businesses in the area and found several safety switch boxes damaged, an air conditioner unit missing from a restaurant and a diesel tank missing from the open generator. The missing items matched the items in the truck's bed.

Authorities also discovered a baggie of marijuana in the cup-holder of Arnold's truck, and a more thorough search turned up cocaine.

Arnold was arrested on charges of felony theft and possession of a controlled substance. The 24-year-old's bond is set at $40,000.