Boyfriend of Fort Worth viral video mom accused of stealing from police bait car

Stolen property from a Fort Worth police bait car was found in a car registered to Jacqueline Craig, the woman at the center of a viral arrest video in December, but she was not questioned in the case and is not a suspect, authorities said Tuesday night.

Her boyfriend, Lawrence Lane Jr., 53, admitted to stealing the items, which were found in the back seat of Craig’s 2012 Dodge Journey, police said.

Officers on Tuesday night tracked the GPS-enabled bait items to a residence in the 5100 block of Brook Meadow Lane, where Lane and Craig were together.

Lane walked out of the residence and admitted to taking the property from the bait car, which had been set up in south Fort Worth after reports of car break-ins in the area, said officer Jimmy Pollozani, police spokesman.

Craig was not questioned in the incident, and officers gave her back the keys to the Dodge Journey after Lane was arrested.

A Fox 4 reporter tweeted earlier Tuesday night that Craig was being questioned in the theft.

Lane faces a felony theft charge in the case because of prior convictions. He has previously been convicted of burglary, theft, robbery, unauthorized use of a vehicle and misdemeanor assault, according to Tarrant County court records.

Lane had used Craig’s car without her permission, but Craig did not report the car stolen, said her attorney, Lee Merritt.

“The rumors about her arrest are part of an ongoing tendency to discredit Jacqueline Craig and her cause,” Merritt said. “It’s easier to malign her character than to offer her a modicum of justice.”

Craig became a central figure in a police incident in December, after she had called 911 to report that a neighbor had assaulted her son for littering.

An officer, William Martin, arrived at the scene and asked Craig: “Why don’t you teach your son not to litter?”

With a crowd gather the situation escalated and Craig and her two daughters were eventually arrested.

Martin was later suspended 10 days for his inappropriate behavior and handling of the situation.

The incident led to protests and increased racial tension. Some members of the community called for Martin and Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald to be fired, and the city established a task force on race and culture in the wake of the incident.

Craig also filed a damage claim with the city, saying, “My children and I were assaulted, falsely imprisoned, subject to extreme distress and overall constitutionally violated by Officer Martin as I attempted to resolve a matter involving my son and an adult neighbor. Since this incident my family is in fear of being watched and harassed due to the aggressive and unprofessional behavior of Officer Martin.”

This story was originally published November 7, 2017 at 10:31 PM with the headline "Boyfriend of Fort Worth viral video mom accused of stealing from police bait car."