3 San Augustine Residents Arrested In Organized Crime Case

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• Three San Augustine County residents are behind bars for engaging in organized criminal activity.
• James Bird, Nina Whittington, and Chase McClain were arrested thanks to the community.
• The Texas Rangers and Mississippi Bureau of Investigations helped locate property stolen by the group.

In a social media post on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, the San Augustine County Sheriff's Department announced the arrest of three individuals for engaging in organized criminal activity.

James Bird, Nina Whittington, and her son Chase McClain are now behind bars because of the San Augustine community. Their vigilance in reporting the items for sale that matched the description of items that were stolen helped solve the case.

McClain and Bird fled the state to Mississippi with stolen ATVs. They left some of the ATVs in Mississippi, and then returned to San Augustine with the remaining stolen items. All three individuals then attempted to sell the leftover items.

Thanks To San Augustine Residents For Helping Solve The Case

The social media post went on to thank their San Augustine citizens for reporting the theft. They also thanked the Texas Rangers and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations.

The majority of the personal property stolen by the three thieves working together has now been located and returned to the rightful owners.

According to FindLaw, the Texas Penal Code lists organized crime of this type as a first-degree felony. The penalties range from five to 99 years or life in prison, and a maximum fine of $10,000.

Organized crime is very broad and the group must have had some formalized structure to garner the charge.