A Jackson man has been arrested in Texas on charges of human smuggling causing serious bodily injury.
The arrest was announced on Thursday by Lt. Chris Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety. According to Olivarez, the suspect, 28-year-old Megal Cezanne Patterson of Jackson, was apprehended while driving a “cloned” Lowe’s work truck in Kinney County, Texas.
Inside the truck, troopers found 17 illegal immigrants hidden in a concealed compartment.
Authorities found 13 males and 4 females. Many of the individuals inside the truck were suffering from severe dehydration and numbness in their legs due to being crammed into a narrow, three-foot-wide space. All individuals received medical treatment at the scene.
Further details about the driver, Patterson, and the ongoing investigation have not been released.