Quick action by a Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy resulted in a theft being solved and thief taken into custody last Tuesday morning, Jan. 27.
Shortly after 10 a.m., Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy Zack Elliott was patrolling in Crothersville when he saw a suspicious vehicle park near storage units in the 200 block of East Main Street. Elliott said the vehicle left a short time later going north on US 31 (Armstrong Street) at a high rate of speed.
Elliott made a traffic stop for the speeding violation and noticed several fishing poles and a tackle box in the vehicle.
“I saw a name on top of the tackle box and I knew the owner,” said Elliott. “And the guy I stopped wasn’t the tackle box owner.”
Elliott contacted the tackle box owner who said his fishing equipment was stored in the mini-storage units on Main Street.
During questioning by Elliott, the driver of the vehicle, Billy Harper, 51, of Morgantown admitted to breaking into a storage unit saying he used bolt cutters to cut the lock off the storage unit, taking items from the unit, then placing a new lock on the storage unit before he left.
Elliott found several tools and other items taken from the storage unit in Harper’s auto as well as bolt cutters. He reported.
Harper was charged with burglary, criminal mischief, and possession of marijuana. He was incarcerated in Jackson County Jail where he is being held on a $4,005 bond.
