East Texas

A Whitehouse Marine, whose car was stolen with his dress uniform and medals inside, got his car back on Monday - minus the medals and uniform.

Cpl. Blake Weller, who was on military leave, drove his recently-purchased 2005 Mazda RX-8 to the Broadway Square Mall on Friday and parked it.

When he returned a short time later, the car was gone, along with his dress uniform and medals, one of which was a replica of a Purple Heart.

Cpl. Weller was awarded a Purple Heart for injuries sustained during a mortar attack in Iraq and is scheduled to receive his real medal this fall.

Dallas police recovered Weller's vehicle during a routine traffic stop early Monday morning after the officer ran the car's license plate and it came up stolen.

The driver of the Mazda, Ershaun Waldon, 21, of Dallas, was arrested and charged with auto theft and booked in the Lew Sterrett Justice center in Dallas.

Tyler Police Department public information officer Don Martin said he spoke with an officer from the Dallas Police Department on Wednesday, who said they have placed a hold on Waldon for other charges in the county.

"He will be brought back to Tyler once he has settled the charges in Dallas," Martin said.

As of Wednesday, Weller's military uniform and medals were still missing.