Wichita Falls coin heist investigation results in another arrest

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) – A new arrest in a Texas DPS and Wichita Falls police investigation brings to five the number of suspects in a major investigation into thefts of silver coins, jewelry and weapons.

Gage Cullar, 33, was booked into jail Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, on a $150,000 bond for burglary.

The arrests began around Oct. 1 when a suspect was apprehended in a stolen car in Cotton County with a large number of silver coins. DPS officers were already investigating
large quantities of silver coins are sold in Wichita Falls.

They were soon linked to a burglary at a home on Eighth Street.

PREVIOUS STORY: Ongoing police investigation leads to 3 arrests

The owner had inherited the house after his father died and did not live there. He discovered a break-in when he performed one of his regular checks on the house.

In addition to an extremely large number of Silver Eagles and other silver collectible coins, the owner of the house discovered that weapons and gold jewelry were also missing.

Investigators in Cotton County told DPS and WFPD officers that the suspect arrested there had 30 pounds of Silver Eagles and other coins in an orange drawstring bag that matched the bags taken in the Wichita Falls burglary.

The suspect told officers he entered the Eighth Street home several times to take large amounts of coins. On one occasion, Cullar had helped him drag two suitcases full of coins out of the house on a blanket because they were too heavy to carry. Officers said when they investigated the burglary, drag marks could still be seen on the floor.

The suspect also stated that they once took four milk jugs full of coins to a United Supermarkets store to convert them into bills at the coin machine. According to the receipt, they received approximately $1,000.

Police have obtained security footage showing the two suspects pushing a grocery cart full of coins toward the change machine. The suspect said they then went to a gold and jewelry store and sold some of the other silver coins for about $20,000.

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Three other suspects are charged in connection with the burglaries. They were arrested after undercover officers tracked their vehicle from a gold shop where an employee said they were selling $10,000 worth of jewelry.

Cullar’s last conviction was for attempted theft in 2023. He pleaded guilty in December 2023 and was placed on probation for six months. A few months later, prosecutors filed a motion to withdraw it, and on September 24, 2024, he was sentenced to four days in prison.

This is a development story. Keep up Texoma’s homepage for updates as more information becomes available. All persons accused of a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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