Employees use GPS to track stolen van, point police to it

By Matt Smith/msmith@trcle.com

September 07, 2007 06:00 pm

— Cleburne police on Tuesday surprised a homeless man who is charged with stealing a van and driving it to a deserted field on County Road 905.
Jason Cory Light, 36, was apparently unaware the van came equipped with a GPS tracking system that allowed employees for its owner, Air Master Heating and Air, to track it as it traveled through Cleburne.
The van was stolen from an employee who drove it to the 3200 block of Celeste Road on a service call, according to police reports. The employee told police he left the keys on the front seat of the unlocked van, which was briefly out of sight while he carried tools to his work site.
Upon returning, the man said he saw the van driving off but could not see the driver.
The owner at Air Master placed the van’s value at about $18,000 with about $5,000 worth of tools inside.
Company employees tracked the van and relayed the information to police, who intercepted the vehicle once it was parked on CR 905.
Officers found the van and spotted Light removing equipment from the rear.
Light was arrested and charged with theft between $20,000 and $100,000.
Police recovered all the equipment, including a wallet left in the van by the employee.
Light remains in custody at the Johnson County Corrections Center in Cleburne on a $25,000 bond.