One dogged detective

— How often the tiniest things can wind up making a colossal difference.

Rogers police confirmed that truism the other day after arresting five people in a mysterious rash of copper wire thefts (totaling $937,250) over the summer.

Who’d have imagined a plastic gallon of Red Diamond iced tea and a jug of water, blended with some police work worthy of Scotland Yard, could lead to an almost million-dollar bust?

It was back on July 31 that police showed up at the electrical room of Strateline Industries to investigate the burglary of copper wire and cable there. In looking around, they found items that didn’t normally belong in the room, including the tea and water.

This is where Rogers detective Dustin Musteen earned his pay by turning his hunch into action. He recorded the UPC tags attached to those jugs and took the information to the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market on South Eighth Street. There, he asked the store manager if he might locate the register videos of those sales in hopes of catching a glimpse of the customer who made them.

Sure enough, they found it and Musteen saw the jugs were sold to a red-haired man who left the store parking lot in a white GMC Yukon with two other men. From that point, it was off to the police department’s database and a bit of research. In short order the detective had discovered the name of the man at the register, who had been on probation.

After realizing this thirsty shopper (also recognized by the man’s probation officer) had a criminal record, Musteen began checking local pawnshops and scrap yards. He soon learned the suspect had sold copper to USA Metal Recycling, receiving a payment of $2,755 on July 30, according to court documents and a news account. Police said the man or his alleged accomplices also had peddled copper to local recycling company TRG.

USA Metal wisely makes it a practice of photographing those who sell valuable metals. Hard to argue with a photo, eh?

The man and a female companion denied everything when the police confronted them with the evidence. The woman told police she didn’t even know the man, even though they had been photographed together during one of several sales to USA Metal. She explained that away by saying she looks like a lot of women.

According to court documents, police eventually made their way to a Turtle Creek home where they discovered a white Yukon in the driveway and bits of copper scattered outside. It didn’t take long for authorities to discover 3,320 pounds of copper and other items in the home. That copper alone was valued at more than $10,000. By the time the investigation had run its course, five people had been arrested, accused of being involved in a host of wire thefts and sales.

I’d say Sherlock Holmes clearly has nothing on detective Musteen and his colleagues.

Taxing distinction

With its latest comparative report that discloses the tax burdens imposed on the citizens of each state, the Tax Foundation is bound to be irritating the tax-affectionate types who don’t much care for what this group regularly discloses.

That said, I just shook my head (again) at its latest comparisons, which showed Arkansas-at 10 percent-was in 15th place in fiscal 2010 when comparing the amount of state and local taxes our residents pay as a percentage of their income. In other words, the foundation found only 14 of the 50 states had a higher percentage of state and local tax burdens on their citizens than Arkansas, courtesy of those elected to lead effectively and efficiently.

The foundation’s figures include in-state taxation, as well as taxes residents paid in other states as a result of their travel and work. The group cited multiple sources in making their calculations.

It’s equally interesting that of the surrounding states, our 10 percent has the unenviable distinction of being far ahead in the level of this tax percentage burden. For instance, Mississippi was in 37th place nationally at 8.7 percent, while Missouri was number 34 at 9 percent. Tennessee was ranked 48th at 7.7 percent. Louisiana was 47th at 7.8 percent and Oklahoma was number 36 with 8.7 percent. Texas was 45th at 7.9 percent. This means that Arkansas is a full 19 places higher up this dubious list than the next-highest ranking neighboring state, Missouri.

Atop the standing was no surprise. New York leads all others with a 12.8 percent tax burden. In 50th place-Alaska at 7 percent.

Praising ‘The Rabbi’

Add my admiration to that of many thousands of folks across Arkansas for Pastor H.D. McCarty (aka The Rabbi) as he is toasted and roasted this Friday evening at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers.

The congenial, energized former pastor of Fayetteville’s University Baptist Church and 30-year chaplain for the Razorbacks who now heads the ministry Ventures for Christ, will be celebrating his 55th wedding anniversary, 47th year as a minister and 80th birthday. Wow! The Rabbi has been among my favorite folks on the planet since we first met when I returned to my native Northwest Arkansas in 1995.

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Mike Masterson’s column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected].

Editorial, Pages 15 on 10/30/2012

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