POLK COUNTY, Texas - Detectives with the Livingston Police Department have arrested two suspects after a series of burglaries and a related lottery fraud investigation earlier this month.
On January 17, 2026, officers took two burglary reports that were later determined to be connected. In the first case, a tree service truck was burglarized and a chainsaw was stolen. Shortly afterward, officers responded to a burglary at a local gas station, where investigators determined a chainsaw had been used to cut into the building. Lottery tickets were stolen during that break-in.
Both incidents occurred in the same area and during the same time frame, prompting detectives to link the cases. The investigation quickly led police to identify a suspect, Carmen Bruce Henderson, a 46-year-old Livingston resident.
Detectives also learned that Henderson and his girlfriend, Nephrateri Sincere Jones, 28, also of Livingston, had separately cashed stolen lottery tickets connected to the burglary. Investigators say the combined value of the tickets exceeded $1,000. Arrest warrants were subsequently obtained for both individuals.
Before those warrants could be served, Livingston patrol officers were dispatched during the early morning hours of January 24, 2026, to a reported theft in progress at a body shop on U.S. Highway 59 South. Officers arrived and located the suspect, who was identified as Henderson. During the encounter, Henderson was also found to be in possession of methamphetamine.
Jones was located with Henderson at the scene, and both were taken into custody without incident.
Henderson faces multiple charges, including Burglary of a Building, Burglary of a Vehicle, Claiming a Lottery Prize by Fraud, Theft of Property, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. Jones was charged with Claiming a Lottery Prize by Fraud.
The investigation remains active. Anyone with information related to these incidents is encouraged to contact the Livingston Police Department at 936-327-3117 or by email at police@livingstontx.gov.
