HARRISON COUNTY, TX - A multi-day search for a teenage fugitive in Harrison County ended dramatically when deputies found the suspect hiding beneath an abandoned house, with the help of cellphone data and a specialized drone. His mother was also arrested for allegedly helping him evade law enforcement.
Authorities had been searching for 17-year-old Reginald Fulton III, who was wanted on multiple warrants, including a probation violation tied to a sexual assault charge, according to Harrison County Sheriff BJ Fletcher.
Investigators obtained warrants for Fulton’s cellphone data, including phone pings and social media location information. While phone pings typically provide only a general radius, Sheriff Fletcher said social media data is far more precise. That information repeatedly placed Fulton at a residence on Beaver Street, including the morning deputies arrived to serve the warrants. Deputies believed Fulton was living there with his mother, Leashondria Harden.
When deputies arrived at the home on January 8, 2026, Harden told them her son was not there. While speaking with her, investigators noticed a cellphone plugged in inside the residence that they believed belonged to Fulton. Deputies secured the home while they sought a second search warrant to seize the phones.
“When we go back into the house, that phone that we saw, that was plugged up, is missing,” Sheriff Fletcher said.
According to investigators, Harden went back inside the home during that time, despite being advised not to. An investigator followed her inside and allegedly observed her tampering with a safe in her bedroom closet. Once the second search warrant was signed and executed, deputies located Fulton’s blue iPhone inside the safe.
In an arrest affidavit, Sgt. Jamal Thompson wrote that Harden’s actions appeared to be an attempt to conceal evidence and help her son avoid arrest.
While that was unfolding, deputies expanded their search to an abandoned house next door. Using a newly acquired drone designed to operate in confined spaces, Sgt. T.C. Livingston flew the drone into the crawlspace beneath the structure. The drone revealed a hole in the floor, and Fulton was quickly located hiding underneath the house.
“Just out of his arm’s reach, luckily, is a pistol that was reported stolen by Longview Police Department,” Sheriff Fletcher said.
Fulton was taken into custody on his outstanding warrants and additional charges, including fraudulent possession of identifying information and theft of a firearm. Harden was arrested and charged with hindering apprehension and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
“She attempted to hide his phone, to tell us that he’s not there, to help him elude police,” Fletcher said.
Both were booked into the Harrison County Jail. Fulton’s bonds total $20,000, and he remains in custody. Harden’s bonds totaled $30,000; she posted bond and was released the following day.
