On the afternoon of January 3rd, 2026, at approximately 1:37 p.m., Gibson County Central Dispatch received a report from the Denny’s Restaurant located at 1989 South State Road 57 outside of Oakland City that a man had ordered food and left the establishment without paying his $31.67 bill.
Once law enforcement arrived on scene, they showed a picture to the employees of the suspect from Lupe’s and Applebee’s dine and dash incidents from the day before, which they positively identified as the same suspect. Employees also gave a description of the male as wearing a black sock hat, gray hoodie, and dark pants.
After a brief search, 44-year-old Derek Scott Jones was located behind a dumpster at ProRehab – an establishment across the street from the Denny’s restaurant – and taken into custody.
Upon investigation Jones was arrested and charged with two counts of Theft. Jones has an extensive criminal history and currently has 9 non-extraditable warrants out of Illinois.
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