How Dallas tipsters received reward money after Crime Stoppers initially refused to pay

After initially being denied compensation, a North Texas couple has been awarded $10,000 for aiding in the apprehension of a wanted fugitive.

Briana and Kenyatta Jordan were driving home July 7 when they recognized a man from a Crime Stoppers billboard, per KDFW-TV (Channel 4). As they watched the man, Leonard Neal, board a DART bus, they called 911.

Neal, 41, is accused of abducting a 9-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl. Neal was missing for weeks after being identified as a suspect in the kidnappings and was added to the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list. Both children were later, and Neal has been charged with sexually abusing at least one of them.

When the Jordans saw Neal, they followed the DART bus and stayed on the phone with first responders. Their call led to Neal being arrested by Dallas police.

The Jordans later learned there was a Crime Stoppers reward attached to Neal’s arrest. When they contacted Crime Stoppers, the organization said they were ineligible for the reward because they called 911 instead of the tip line.

North Texas Crime Stoppers, which is not a law enforcement agency, is part of the North Texas Commission and relies on information from the police, the media and the community.

People who call the tip line remain anonymous and can share confidential information with authorities. Calls made to 911 are public record.

Media reports that local business owners, after seeing a news story on the Neal’s arrest, wrote the Jordans a check for $5,000.

And, after initially declining to do so, Crime Stoppers agreed to give the Jordans $5,000 for their efforts.

Tennell Atkins, mayor pro tem for City Council District 8, said at a news conference Tuesday that the Jordans’ actions are an example of community policing. Community engagement and education are central to public safety, he said.

“If you see something, say something,” Atkins said. “If there is a reward, you will get paid.”

Atkins said he hopes to raise public awareness of Crime Stoppers resources and other ways that residents can contribute to neighborhood safety. The process for crime reporting is not well understood, he said.

Kenyatta Jordan said at the conference that he and Brianna were just trying to do something right for the community. They have six children and when they saw Neal, they knew they had to take action.

“I feel like we should come together to be there for our kids,” Brianna Jordan said. “I think that our kids deserve a better place to grow up in.”

The Crime Stoppers’ tip line can be reached at 877-373-8477.