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Suspect for stealing Napier’s SUV arrested — again

A Laurel man who has been accused of stealing a half-dozen or so vehicles in the last three months became “Home Town” infamous for the most recent theft he’s charged with.

Desmond Keyes, 24, of Laurel is accused of stealing Ben Napier’s beloved 1987 Chevrolet Blazer from under the carport of the HGTV star’s home in the historic district of Laurel last week. The Napiers weren’t there at the time, but home security surveillance captured images of the thief getting behind the wheel of the SUV at 1:38 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8.

After it was discovered that the vehicle was missing, Napier posted the image to Facebook — which was widely shared — and he called Laurel police. Keyes was quickly identified as the suspect, as his face was as familiar to local officers as the Napiers are to fans of their hit show “Home Town.”

Keyes had been in the custody of Laurel police on Thursday afternoon for questioning about an Oldsmobile Delta 88 that was stolen from a residence in the 1500 block of 2nd Avenue. The car was recovered by the LPD a short time later near a residence Keyes was at just north of there. He was released pending grand jury.

“He had already stolen the second vehicle (Napier’s Blazer) at that time, but it hadn’t been reported yet,” LPD Chief Tommy Cox said. “When (Napier) realized it had been stolen and notified us, we located it within two hours.”

Keyes was arrested on Tuesday afternoon at a business on Chantilly Street and he made his initial appearance in Laurel Municipal Court on Wednesday afternoon. He just cackled when a reporter asked him if he knew that the gold and cream-colored Blazer belonged to a TV star.

Judge Zeke Baucum set his bond at $80,000.

Keyes was charged with four counts of grand larceny, and “other arrests are likely,” Cox said.

He commended Investigators Brad Anderson and Macon Davis for their efforts.

“Outstanding work by both of them, and they’ve been real busy,” Cox said, noting that Davis was recently promoted to investigator. “They’ve had a murder, an aggravated and this, and Macon jumped right in running, not learning, just like we knew he would.”

A third vehicle Keyes was accused of stealing was taken from a residence on 20th Street and sold to a local scrapyard, Cox said, and there was a fourth vehicle he was accused of stealing from 1st Avenue. Napier’s SUV “came back in the same condition it was in,” Cox said, and he commended Hattiesburg police for that. Acting on information that investigators here had obtained, HPD officers found the Blazer at a mechanic’s shop on the Highway 42 bypass. It had reportedly been dropped off for repairs, Cox said.

Back in November, Keyes had just been released from jail for possession of a stolen vehicle when he led deputies from the Jones County Sheriff’s Department and LPD officers on a high-speed chase in a stolen Ford F150. Deputy Austin Smith attempted to stop the pickup, which had a Texas license plate and had been reported stolen out of Hattiesburg, near South 16th Avenue. The driver took off on Interstate 59, tossing a Tupperware container full of marijuana that struck the deputy’s windshield, according to the report.

Speeds exceeded 100 mph before he exited at Highway 11 and came back through town before finally stopping on Short 3rd Avenue. A 9mm handgun and the IDs of several men were reportedly found inside the vehicle. Keyes made his initial appearance in Jones County Justice Coryt then and was out on $5,000 bond.

It was noted in the JCSD report that Keyes had a colostomy bag — believed to be the result of a gunshot wound. It’s not unusual for criminals with serious medical problems to get low bond amounts or released from custody so taxpayers aren’t saddled with the cost of their medical care.

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