TEXARKANA, Texas - A Little Rock man has been arrested in Texarkana on charges of insurance fraud and filing a false police report.
Roderick Jenkins, 39, was arrested Tuesday after he turned himself in to police, said Shawn Vaughn, spokesman for the Texarkana, Texas Police Department. Jenkins has been released from the Bi-State jail after posting a $30,000 bond.
On June 16, Jenkins reported his 2018 Polaris Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) had been stolen from a friend's residence in Texarkana, Texas. Immediately upon filing the vehicle theft report, Jenkins contacted his insurance company and filed a $67,000 loss claim as a result of the theft.
During the course of the investigation, Detective Cory Motley learned that Jenkins had allegedly stopped making payments on the UTV and it was about to be repossessed just before being reported stolen. He also developed information that Jenkins may have lied about the theft, repainted the UTV purple to change its appearance, and still had it in his possession in the Little Rock area.
Motley continued to pursue the investigation over the next three months before eventually learning that Jenkins was expected to attend a recreational ride at the Muddy Bottoms ATV Park in Serepta, Louisiana on September 3. He suspected that Jenkins might take the stolen UTV with him to the event and contacted the Webster Parish Sheriff's Office to ask for their assistance in watching for it. Shortly after Jenkins arrived at the event, another man arrived with a purple 2018 Polaris UTV loaded on a trailer and parked directly beside Jenkins' recreation vehicle.
Although the two men told deputies that they did not know each other, it was later determined that they are brothers. Upon inspection, deputies found that the vehicle identification number (VIN) had been removed and noted there were several aftermarket equipment similarities with the one reported stolen by Jenkins. The vehicle was temporarily seized until the VIN could be confirmed. Motley later travelled to Webster Parish to escort the UTV to a Polaris dealership in Bossier City, where they were able to electronically retrieve the VIN and verified that it was the stolen UTV.