A Dallas couple that made a crucial call leading to the capture of a man wanted in connection with the kidnapping and sexual assault of a child recently learned that they are not eligible for the reward posted by Crime Stoppers due to a technicality.
Leonard Lamar Neal, 41, landed on the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list in late June after an investigation into the kidnapping of a 7-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
While the boy was dropped off shortly after being abducted, the girl was missing for 12 hours, and Neal allegedly sexually assaulted her.
Briana and Kenyatta Jordan, parents to six children, spotted Neal on their way home from lunch on July 7 and sprang into action.
“That could have been our oldest two kids,” Briana said, according to Fox 4 News.
They followed Neal in their minivan once he got onto a bus and called 911. They remained on the line with an officer as the authorities arrived in the Red Bird neighborhood, near Polk Street and Camp Wisdom Road, to intercept the bus.
“Once we made the right on Polk, he said, ‘That’s y’all’s minivan?’ I said yes,” Kenyatta recounted to Fox 4. “He said, ‘We are pulling up behind you. So y’all can get out of the way now.’”
As covered in The Dallas Express, Neal attempted to cut his own throat as officers tried to apprehend him, necessitating medical attention at a local hospital before being booked in Dallas County jail about a week later.
Crime Stoppers had offered a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of Neal. Yet when the Jordans learned about the reward and tried to collect, they were told they did not follow the proper procedure and thus were ineligible.
“We dialed 911 instead of Crime Stoppers. We’re not able to get the reward,” Briana said derisively to Fox 4, recounting what she and Kenyatta were told. “It feels like we were misled.”
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, to be eligible for a cash reward, Crime Stoppers requires that a person provide information via one of the following methods:
- Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS.
- Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about and then clicking on the link under his picture.
- Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).
According to the Jordans, if they had tried to submit a tip using one of those methods, the suspected kidnapper would still be on the loose.
All hope is not lost, as Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia suggested in a statement to Fox 4.
“While DPD does not have input on the criteria that must be met for a Crime Stoppers reward, when a unique set of circumstances arises, we certainly can open conversations that will help improve services, prevent crime or help to solve investigations in our city.”
The Jordans hope something can be done so they can collect the reward.
Crime Stoppers is run by the North Texas Crime Commission. The organization works with the Dallas Police Department in a cooperative partnership.
Currently, Dallas PD is facing a shortage of officers, with only 3,100 employed, while 4,000 is recommended by a City analysis.
Police officials have pointed to the staffing shortage as a serious drag on the department’s ability to respond to high-priority calls.
“It’s going to be a very long time before we ever catch up to where we need to be or where we should be as far as manpower,” Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata said, per the Dallas Observer.
The crime rate has grown across the city, with criminal homicides increasing by 23% in the first four months of the year. More recent data is said to be “unreliable” by the City due to an alleged ransomware attack on its servers in May.
Neighboring Fort Worth has implemented a dedicated police unit to patrol its downtown area, which reportedly helps lower crime rates, exposing the neighborhood to far less crime than residents see in Downtown Dallas.
