Gladewater police are investigating a violent vehicle theft that left one person injured and led to multiple felony charges against a 28-year-old suspect.
On December 23, 2025, officers responded to a report of a stolen vehicle and an injured individual at the intersection of North Main Street and East Shepperd Drive. Investigators determined the victim was at the location to exchange custody of a child when the suspect entered the victim’s 2020 Ford F-150 without consent.
As the victim attempted to stop the theft, a physical struggle occurred. Police said the suspect drove away while the victim was partially inside the truck, causing the victim to be thrown from the vehicle as it accelerated northbound on North Main Street. The victim sustained minor injuries and was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment.
Using vehicle-tracking technology, investigators traced the stolen truck to several locations in Longview. Gregg County deputies later located the vehicle and detained the suspect without further incident. The suspect, identified as Izabel Osteen, was transported back to Gladewater and booked into the Gladewater City Jail on a charge of robbery, a second-degree felony.
The following day, while being escorted for transport from the Gladewater City Jail to the Gregg County Jail, Osteen briefly escaped custody and fled on foot. Officers quickly apprehended Osteen in the 200 block of Elanore Street. Osteen is now being held in the Gregg County Jail on charges of robbery, a second-degree felony, and escape from custody, a third-degree felony.
The Gladewater Police Department thanked the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office and assisting agencies for their swift response and cooperation in apprehending the suspect and recovering the stolen vehicle.
