MOBILE, Ala. — A 43-year-old man is in custody on a first-degree receiving stolen property charge after Mobile police say they caught him with a travel trailer that had been reported stolen from the 200 block of Schillinger Road South over the weekend.
According to a news release from the Mobile Police Department, officers were called to that block of Schillinger Road South around noon on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, on a report of a stolen trailer. The caller told police the travel trailer had been taken from the area, and officers spread out to look for it. The investigation led them to a man identified as James Snowden, 43, who they said was found in possession of the trailer. He was taken into custody at the scene and charged with first-degree receiving stolen property.
Police did not say in the initial release how the trailer came to be in Snowden’s possession, how long it had been missing before the call came in, or where exactly officers located him. Detectives with MPD’s property crimes unit typically follow up on receiving-stolen-property cases by tracing serial numbers, checking pawnshop and online marketplace records, and interviewing anyone who may have handled the trailer between the time it was reported missing and the time it was recovered. The news release also did not say whether anyone else was involved or whether additional charges were expected. South Alabama News has reached out to the Mobile Police Department for additional details and will update this article if more information is released.
Where the arrest happened
Schillinger Road South is a heavily traveled commercial corridor in west Mobile, running south from Cottage Hill Road through a stretch of shopping centers, restaurants, apartment complexes, and subdivisions that grew rapidly during the 1990s and 2000s. The 200 block sits just south of the busy intersection with Cottage Hill Road, an area that includes the Colonial Mall Bel Air campus, a number of large chain retailers, and several residential streets that back up to Schillinger. Thefts of trailers, boats, lawn equipment, and other items stored in driveways or on trailers parked along that corridor are a recurring problem for the Mobile Police Department’s West Precinct, which covers most of the city west of Interstate 65.
Travel trailers — the kind of towable campers that connect to a pickup truck or SUV and are common throughout the Gulf Coast — have become an increasingly frequent target for thieves because they are easy to hitch up and move, often sit in plain view in residential driveways, and frequently go unreported for hours or even days while owners are at work or on vacation. Once a trailer is gone, recovering it can be difficult because the lack of license plates or unique markings makes identification a challenge. Police in Mobile and across the Gulf Coast routinely urge trailer owners to etch identifying numbers into the frame, photograph the unit from multiple angles, install a hitch lock, and consider GPS trackers that can be hidden on the undercarriage.
What the charge means in Alabama
First-degree receiving stolen property is a Class B felony under Alabama law. To secure a conviction, prosecutors must prove that the defendant received, retained, or disposed of property that had been stolen, that the defendant knew the property was stolen at the time, and that the value of the property exceeded $2,500. Because travel trailers often carry price tags in the tens of thousands of dollars and frequently include additional equipment such as generators, air conditioners, awnings, and built-in electronics, they routinely clear the $2,500 threshold that elevates a receiving-stolen-property case from second degree to first degree.
A Class B felony in Alabama carries a sentencing range of two years to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $30,000. A judge may also order restitution to the owner for the value of the trailer and any personal property that was inside it. Because receiving stolen property is a felony, defendants charged under the statute are entitled to a preliminary hearing in district court within 21 days of bond being set, unless the case is bound over to a grand jury first. If indicted, the case proceeds in Mobile County Circuit Court, where serious felony matters are tried. Defense attorneys in receiving-stolen-property cases frequently attack the knowledge element — arguing that their client had no idea the property was stolen, that the trailer was purchased in good faith, or that the chain of custody between the original owner and the defendant has not been proven.
Alabama courts have long held that knowledge can be proven by direct evidence, such as a confession or a witness statement, or by circumstantial evidence. Examples cited in case law include paying far below market value for the property, taking the property at night, altering or removing serial numbers, or possessing the property alongside burglary tools or other stolen goods. Prosecutors in Mobile County typically work the case through the District Attorney’s Office’s property crimes unit, which handles hundreds of receiving-stolen-property cases each year alongside related charges such as burglary, theft of property, and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
What typically happens next in a Mobile felony case
After an arrest on a Class B felony, the defendant is taken to Mobile Metro Jail for booking and an initial appearance before a district court judge, usually within 24 to 48 hours. The judge sets bond based on a standard bond schedule, the defendant’s prior record, and any aggravating factors the prosecution raises. A first-degree receiving stolen property charge is generally considered a serious property offense, and bonds in such cases are often set in the range of $5,000 to $25,000, though they can be higher or lower depending on the facts.
If the defendant cannot post bond, the case proceeds toward a preliminary hearing, where the prosecution must show probable cause to believe a crime was committed and the defendant committed it. If probable cause is found, the case is bound over to the Mobile County Grand Jury. The grand jury meets regularly and may return a true bill of indictment, sending the case to Mobile County Circuit Court, or it may decline to indict, in which case the charge is dismissed and the defendant is released from the underlying charge. A defendant whose case is indicted will then be arraigned in circuit court, where a plea of not guilty is entered, discovery is exchanged between the District Attorney’s Office and defense counsel, and a trial date is scheduled. The vast majority of felony receiving-stolen-property cases in Mobile County resolve with a guilty plea negotiated between the defense and the prosecution rather than at trial.
Convicted defendants on first-degree receiving stolen property are often placed on probation after serving a portion of their sentence, but they may also be required to serve split sentences that include a period of incarceration followed by supervised probation. Restitution to the trailer’s owner is typical, as is a requirement that the defendant pay court costs and any related fees.
How to report stolen or suspicious trailers in Mobile
Mobile police encourage residents who own trailers, boats, or other towable equipment to keep a record of the make, model, and Vehicle Identification Number, along with a recent photograph. The Mobile Police Department’s non-emergency line is 251-208-7211. Anyone with information about a stolen trailer — or about the case described above — can also submit a tip anonymously through Mobile County Crime Stoppers at 251-208-7000 or through the Mobile Police Department’s online reporting portal.
Neighbors who notice unfamiliar vehicles hitched to trailers in their area, or who see trailers parked on the side of the road that do not appear to belong there, are encouraged to call the non-emergency line rather than approach the occupants. The Mobile Police Department regularly reminds residents that a quick call to dispatch can sometimes prevent a theft in progress or help officers recover property before it leaves the area.
About the Mobile Police Department and the West Mobile area
The Mobile Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for the city of Mobile, which is the third-most-populous city in Alabama. The department is divided into precincts that cover different parts of the city, with the West Precinct covering the area west of Interstate 65, including Schillinger Road, Cottage Hill Road, and the neighborhoods that grew up around the University of South Alabama and Spring Hill College. MPD is led by a chief of police appointed by the mayor and is staffed by sworn officers, civilian employees, and reserve officers. The department works closely with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, which covers the unincorporated areas of the county, and with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency on cases that cross jurisdictional lines.
Anyone with information about the James Snowden case or the recovery of the stolen travel trailer is asked to contact the Mobile Police Department. South Alabama News will update this story as additional details become available.
Residents in the Schillinger Road South area who noticed the trailer in the days leading up to the arrest, or who saw vehicles towing it through the neighborhood or through nearby streets, are encouraged to share what they remember with investigators. Even small details — the time of day, the direction the trailer was moving, the color and make of the tow vehicle, the presence of other people in the area — can help detectives build a clearer picture of how the trailer moved from the original theft location to wherever police found it on Saturday. In property crime investigations across Mobile, witness tips submitted through Crime Stoppers have frequently been the difference between a charge that sticks and a case that goes cold.
Mobile police have not indicated that additional suspects are being sought in the trailer theft at this time, but they have also not ruled out the possibility that other people were involved. The release makes clear that the matter remains under investigation and that supplemental charges could still be filed as detectives review evidence and follow up on leads. Anyone with information can submit a tip anonymously, and tips that lead to an arrest or recovery of additional stolen property may qualify for a cash reward through the standard Crime Stoppers program that operates across Mobile County.