Copper Theft Leads to Felony Charge

By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter

HOUSTON COUNTY – A Houston County man is behind bars after admitting to numerous burglaries and thefts of sellable metals.

George Lynn Mullin, 51 with a listed Crockett address, was booked into custody and charged with burglary of a habitation after a non-custodial interview with Houston County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Investigator Jerry Kaelin.

The arrest not only stemmed from a specific incident on Jan. 24 of this year, but also from “… the felony theft of copper and regulated metals that occurred in July of 2018 at oil field sites in Houston County.”

The HCSO Investigator identified Mullin as a suspect in the oilfield thefts and went to his residence to question him about the most recent theft.

“A non-custodial interview was conducted with Mullin at his residence, where Mullin admitted to numerous burglaries/thefts that were associated with metal sales linked to Mullin and identified in the Texas DPS metals database,” an affidavit of probable cause stated.

Mullin further informed Kaelin his most recent metal acquisition came from an abandoned house across the road from his residence on FM 232.

According to the affidavit, “Mullin detailed that he went to this abandoned home, where he stripped it of its saleable metals and identified a location where he entered the attic. Mullin stated he did not know the owners of said property or have (their) consent.”

The metals were sold on Jan. 24 and included 14 pounds of copper, nine pounds of brass and 14 pounds of aluminum.

The owner of the property from where these metals were taken was contacted and “… confirmed Mullin did not have permission to be on his property,” the report stated.

He was booked into custody and charged with burglary of a habitation, a second degree felony.

According to Section 12.33 of the Texas Penal Code, “An individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the second degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the institutional division for any term of not more than 20 years or less than two years. In addition to imprisonment, an individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the second degree may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000.”

Mullin is being held at the Houston County Jail on a $30,000 bond.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].