Vehicle stolen from Picayune policeman's Poplarville home found in Bogalusa scrap yard

Billy Ray Briggs

Richard Hawker Rome, of Carriere, Miss., was in big trouble with law enforcement a few months back, being cited on 461 counts of purchasing a motor vehicle without a title.

And it seems to have happened again.

That’s because a Picayune police officer had his 1996 Ford Ranger stolen on April 22 from his Poplarville home. Then, at the end of May, he found his truck, sitting on blocks, at Rome’s business, Rome’s Recycling, located just outside the Bogalusa city limit.

The vehicle, without title, was sold to Rome’s by an individual who got it from the two persons who stole it from the policeman.

Debra Ann Kendrick

After the officer, unidentified for security reasons, located his vehicle, Pearl River County Sheriff’s Det. Rob Williams was able to get information on the individual who sold the vehicle to Rome’s based on records from the business. After contacting that person, he learned that a pair of Pearl River County residents, 41-year-old Billy Ray Briggs and 44-year-old Debra Ann Kendrick, had sold it to the individual.

Williams learned that Briggs and Kendrick had stolen the vehicle and found them both — in custody with the Picayune Police Department on unrelated charges.

Both Kendrick and Briggs were arrested as soon as they had completed their previous sentence on June 2. Kendrick’s list of charges includes no driver’s license, no insurance, DUI and grand larceny, while Briggs is now being held only on a grand larceny charge.

Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Shane Tucker told the Picayune Item that the man who sold the truck to the junk yard is facing charges in Washington Parish related to the theft.

Attempts to contact the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office to learn the identity of the selling party and charges filed in connection with case were unsuccessful Friday.

In February, Rome was charged with 501 counts of selling a motor vehicle as scrap without a permit, 461 counts of purchasing a motor vehicle without title or affidavit of ownership, one count of not keeping required records and one count of scrapping a vehicle without a license to crush.

At that time, Rome was able to remain open, and Police Chief Joe Culpepper told the Bogalusa newspaper he believed the recycler was no longer accepting cars or trucks.


Obviously not.