Luck ran out for an alleged car thief wanted by Gulf Shores Police. Investigators said the suspect stole a pickup in Mississippi before he torched it in Gulf Shores. They said he then left town in a stolen U-Haul, pulling a construction trailer he also stole. Thanks to a well-placed surveillance camera, investigators were able to quickly close the case.

Thanks to the video, showing two stolen trucks and a stolen trailer, police were able to quickly catch the man they believe is responsible for all three thefts. Twenty-seven-year-old Timothy Ryan Holmes of Creola is in the Mobile County Jail with holds on him out of Mississippi and Gulf Shores.

“The luck is ultimately not going to forever be in their favor and it ran out for this guy you know, in a couple different ways,” said Sgt. Jason Woodruff with Gulf Shores Police.

Mobile Police made the arrest, but everything started early Thursday morning, July 22, 2020 in Gulf Shores when a patrol officer found a pickup on fire behind the old Sacred Heart Medical Complex. The truck came back as stolen out of Mississippi. Meanwhile, a construction trailer full of tools was reported stolen and then, on the other side of town, a U-Haul truck was also reported stolen. As luck would have it, the suspect’s rendezvous point was under surveillance by the city and he was caught in the act.

“The one place that they commit this crime, that all three vehicles are in the same location at the same time just so happens to be a place that our maintenance division had recently put a brand new camera to deal with some vandals in the area and they pull all three of these vehicles right into the video…right into the camera’s view,“ Woodruff said.

In this case, technology and a little bit of luck bringing all the pieces of the puzzle together.

“It’s a lot of help. I mean, in this case, a brand-new camera in place and I think the city’s just adding to that and it helps in cases, I’d say weekly,” explained Woodruff.

The trailer and many of the tools are still missing. Police are hoping someone can help find it. They think it may have either been abandoned or sold. The last time it was seen was being pulled behind the U-Haul, going north on Highway 59. If you know anything about this crime, you’re asked to call the Gulf Shores Police Department.