West Plains man arrested for theft and fraudulent use of credit card

Arkansas State University. – On May 8, 2024, a West Plains resident was arrested for breaking into a vehicle belonging to a local business in Mountain Home and stealing property while in the passenger seat. Jon Dalton Watson, 31, is charged with burglary, three counts of theft of property (credit/debit card), one count of theft of property of a firearm, and two counts of fraudulent use of a credit or debit card.

According to the affidavit, local officers were called to a local store at 7:00 a.m. for a report of a theft. When officers arrived at the scene, they spoke with the victim and she stated that she ran into the store for 5 to 10 minutes and her purse and phone were missing when she returned to her vehicle. Inside the purse were two credit cards, a debit card, and a firearm.

After speaking with the store manager, officers reviewed surveillance footage and saw a red Dodge pickup truck pull up next to the victim’s car. Watson exited the pickup truck, broke into the victim’s car, and grabbed the phone and purse from her passenger seat. Fourteen minutes later, he attempted to use one of the stolen debit cards at another local store in Mountain Home. He got back in his vehicle and drove east through Bakersfield. The pickup truck was found abandoned in Howell County. Officers later determined that the pickup truck had been stolen earlier that morning in Tecumseh.

Jon Dalton Watson is being held on $25,000 bail.

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