Shoplifting Grifters High on Weed Indicted for Organized Crime

SAN ANGELO — Three individuals were indicted by a Tom Green County grand jury for engaging in organized criminal activity after evidence presented to the grand jury showed them being caught with stolen electronics from two Walmart stores.

According to court documents, Jesse Kayembe, Kevine Nayamulemi Kabanda, and Narinesa Renea Jones-McDowell were arrested after getting pulled over by a State Trooper. The trooper was working a routine patrol in Sterling County on May 6, 2022, at around 1:10 p.m., the trooper observed a black four door Chrysler passenger car exceeding the posted speed limit on US Highway 87. The black Chrysler was traveling at a speed of 47 MPH in a 35 MPH zone.

While catching up with the vehicle, the trooper observed a Texas temporary license plate that expired in May 2022 and a traffic stop was conducted. Upon making contact with the three occupants, a strong odor of marijuana was emitted from the interior of the suspect vehicle. When asked who had been smoking, the female passenger said everyone was. The three occupants were identified as Jones-McDowell, Kabanda, and Kayemba.

The trooper asked Jones-McDowell what the purpose of this trip was and she stated they were going to a surprise baby shower for her cousin. When asked for the location of the baby shower, Jones-McDowell stated she believed it was two hours away but never gave an exact location. The trooper observed evasive mannerisms being displayed which led him to believe the baby shower story was a fabrication. But Jones-McDowell stated that was the reason they “got that thing” in the back, referring to a large box in the back seat with a Diaper Genie on it.

Jones-McDowell gave the trooper an address of Sherwood Way in San Angelo and also stated they were traveling from Houston but again stated she didn’t know the exact location of the baby shower.

Then the trooper began speaking with Kayembe, Jones-McDowell began activelty pacing around, seemed extremely anxious, and would not stay in the location the trooper asked her to stay in. Kayembe was arrested for active warrants out of Fort Bend County.

A probable cause search of the vehicle revealed two receipts, one from Walmart, located at 610 West 29th Street and one from 5501 Sherwood Way, both in San Angelo. Both of the receipts contained one purchase of one diaper pale. Three Diaper Genie boxes were discovered in the back seat. Inside the boxes, the trooper located dog medicine and electronics that still had the security devices on them from a store.

A Diaper Genie is a special trash can for used baby diapers.

The trooper asked Jones-McDowell where the receipts for the items inside the boxes were and Jones-McDowell said the items came from her job, a warehouse for a bookstore. When the trooper approached Jones-McDowell, to secure her cell phone as evidence, he visibly saw Jones-McDowell delete two full text conversations. The trooper also seized Kabanda and Kayembe’s cell phones.

Jones-McDowell was asked again for her place of employment, and she stated FedEx Ground and the bookstore, AMG Music Marathons. The trooper could not locate the booker Jones-McDowell claimed to work at. While reading Kayembe his Miranda Warning, the trooper noticed Kayembe had placed a phone on a video call and the subject on the other end could see and hear the trooper’s conversation and traffic stop. Then, Kayembe was asked where they acquired the items and Kayembe immediately requested an attorney.

The black Chrysler was taken to Sterling County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation until the investigator could arrive.

The investigator arrived at around 2:40 p.m., and upon his arrival at the Sterling County Sheriff’s Office, observed four Diaper Genie boxes sitting on the table. Inside the boxes were Frontline dog medicine, USB drives, Nintendo Switch remotes, and calculators. Several of the items were either still in plastic security boxes or still had the anti-theft magnetic devices attached.

Jones-McDowll began a Mirandized interview with the investigator at around 3:00 p.m. when the investigator learned the following.

Jones-McDowell stated that all the items were from or for her jobs, AMG Book Store and Movie in Missouri City, Texas and FedEx Ground in Missouri City, Texas. Jones-McDowell stated, “I get them from my manager, and I bring them to the bookstore like he tells me.”  The items were placed in the Diaper Genie boxes to make them easier to carry.

Jones-McDowell stated that the trip was for them to attend a baby shower for now, a family friend in a city called “Merlin” or “Merling” or “Berlin”, which was apparently an hour from the traffic stop. The investigator stated the only town around that starts with an “M” and is about an hour away is Midland, to which Jones-McDowell agreed was the city they were trying to get to.

Jones-McDowell was asked who the two males, Kayembe and Kabanda, were to which Jones-McDowell stated Kayemba is her “sister’s baby daddy” and “brother-in-law” and Kabanda is Kayembe’s cousin.

Jones-McDowell was asked if she’d ever been arrested, to which she replied no, but then changed her answer to once, but she claimed she was released. The investigator later learned Jones-McDowell had been arrested four times.

The investigator asked if Jones-McDowell had an invoice for the items to which she stated no. Then, the investigator said he wanted to know where the items came from and told Jones-McDowell he didn’t believe her story. Jones-McDowell expressed numerous criminal stress indicator, which made the investigator believe she was being untruthful and fabricating the story how the items got into the vehicle. Jones-McDowell then stated, “There is nothing I can tell you to make you believe this. I didn’t steal anything; you can’t prove that I stole anything. I am just literally coming from Houston to Merlington for Merling, whatever it is.”

The investigator then asked Jones-McDowell, “If I go run your work history right now, I am going to see that you work for these two stores?” Jones-McDowell stated “Yes”. Then the investigator attempted to locate AMG Bookstore and music on Highway 6 in Missouri City, Texas, utilizing maps on a mobile phone and could not locate any such business. Then, he attempted to have Jones-McDowell locate the business using the same mobile phone and she could not. A Google search for “AMG Bookstore” returned negative results.

The investigator asked for consent to go through Jones-McDowell’s phone, which she did not allow.

Kabanda was interviewed by the investigator about 45 minutes later, and he stated they were going to a baby shower for a family friend. Kabanda was asked if he was related to Kayembe, to which he stated “No”, contradicting Jones-McDowell’s statement that they are cousins.

When the investigator asked Kabanda for the address he lived at he stated he wanted to terminate the interview.

On May 9th, 2022, the investigator went to Wal-Mart, located at 5501 Sherwood Way and reviewed surveillance footage. In the footage, Jones-McDowell and Kayembe are seen walking through Wal-Mart, utilizing a Diaper Genie box to put merchandise in so they could get out of the store without paying for the stolen items.

Kabanda is observed pushing a basket around in the genral area acting as a “lookout” and all three suspects are constantly on their phone and allegedly in communication with each other while walking around the store.

Jones-McDowell and Kabanda used the self-checkout and only paid for one diaper box, then walked out of the store with two diaper boxes that were filled with merchandise that was not paid for. The items stolen from the store totaled $5,847.85.

That same day, the investigator went to Wal-Mart on 29th Street in San Angelo and observed video showing Jones-McDowell and Kayembe removed a Diaper Genie from its box and placing it in the aisle. They then used this box to conceal items in order to not pay for them. All three approached the self-checkout and paid for the Diaper Genie and walked out of the store. All three were also on constantly had their cellphones in their hands walking around the store. The total in price of the items stolen from this Wal-Mart totaled $7,258.34.

Keyembe was arrested on May 6, 2022 and released the next day while Jones-McDowell posted her bond on May 27, 2022 and posted his bond on July 13, 2022.