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MCSO: Victim's Facebook friends identify stolen vehicle suspect

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Posted at 1:54 PM, Mar 04, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-04 17:06:24-05

TONOPAH, AZ — A victim's Facebook friends helped identify a man who stole her sand rail.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office reports that on January 9, a woman was returning to her Tonopah home when she saw a U-Haul truck stuck in a ditch near her home. She reported that behind the U-Haul, attached with chains, was her sand rail, all-terrain vehicle.

When the victim confronted the woman in the driver's seat, she recognized her as Jessica Christina Newbery, 31, a childhood friend. Newbery reportedly grabbed her purse and ran. The victim went inside her home and called MCSO.

When she was on the phone with the dispatcher, she allegedly saw a man get into the U-Haul and then run away. She managed to get a photograph of the suspect.

The woman posted the photo on her Facebook page and was soon contacted by people who recognized him as 30-year-old William Charles Tewksbury. They reported that he is often seen with Newbery.

MCSO says two days later, the victim saw the couple walking around Tonopah and contacted MCSO. Deputies located and arrested Tewksbury outside a Dollar General Store. An employee of the store reportedly told deputies that Tewksbury had just stolen a basket full of goods, including donuts, peaches, pies, soda, and cereal.

Deputies soon located Newbery hiding in a culvert across the street.

The couple has been charged with shoplifting, burglary, and vehicle theft.