Teen Arrested with Modified Gun After Pursuit in Liberty County

On Tuesday, June 11, 2024, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Interdiction Unit was conducting operations in the area of Grand Ave and Lakeland Dr in response to reports of high narcotic traffic. A deputy observed two male subjects standing in the roadway and approached them.

During the encounter, the deputy asked one of the subjects, who was carrying a black backpack, to remove it for a weapons check. The subject dropped the backpack and fled. The deputy pursued and tackled the subject, who then elbowed the deputy in the face and escaped. The subject fled to a property in the 2600 block of Grand Avenue, known to deputies for previous criminal activity.

A perimeter was established, and deputies entered the property, locating the subject hiding in a garage. The subject was taken into custody without further incident and identified as Ethan Nelson Spears, 19, of Liberty, Texas. A search of the backpack revealed a Glock 9mm handgun with a Glock Switch, making it fully automatic.

Spears, a convicted felon with prior evading arrest convictions, was charged with Evading with Previous Conviction (State Jail Felony), Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon (Felony 3), Prohibited Weapon (Felony 3), and Assault on a Peace Officer (Felony 2). The case will be forwarded to the Beaumont ATF Office for potential federal charges due to the modified handgun.