BEAUMONT, Texas — Hardin County deputies have a 52-year-old Kountze man in custody in connection with a road rage shooting on Saturday.
Thomas Wayne Wolcott, 52, of Kountze, has been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting and is being held in the Hardin County Jail on bonds totaling $450,000, according to Hardin County Sheriff Mark Davis.
Davis tells 12News that Wolcott has confessed to the shooting.
Wolcott has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of deadly conduct, Davis said.
Wolcott pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a motor vehicle and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Thursday, March 14 after choosing to be sentenced by a jury.
During the sentencing trial this week, the jury sentenced him to five years on each charge with the sentences running concurrently.
The jury could have given him from 5-99 or life in prison.
The Saturday afternoon shooting along southbound U.S. Highway 69 south of Lumberton left a 26-year-old Silsbee man with a gunshot wound, according to Davis.
Deputies responded to the road rage incident on December 2, 2023 just after 1:30 p.m. between Lumberton and the Hardin County line, according to Davis.
Wolcott and the other driver were involved in a driving dispute. Wolcott reportedly shot into the back of the 26-year-old's vehicle and caused a crash. This lead to other crashes and traffic was backed up for hours.
Wolcott fled the scene in a red Nissan Versa that had rear-end damage, but investigators were able to connect him to the crime through witnesses and car pieces found at the scene, according to Davis.
After evidence was collected a search warrant was issued by Hardin County 356th District Court Judge Steven Thomas. Deputies served the warrant at 10 p.m. at a home off of FM 418 near Kountze.
The vehicle and Wolcott were found and he was taken into custody, according to Davis.
Davis says that incidents like these are common in areas of high traffic.
"Unfortunately as those things go... traffic count is high. You've got aggressive driving. Tempers flare, someone gets mad and in the particular case, obviously one person chose to take out a gun and start shooting," said Davis.
The victim is still recovering in the hospital. A woman and child were also in the vehicle but were not injured.
Investigators are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident and shooting contact Hardin County Sheriff’s Office Investigators at 409-246-3441.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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