Is This Happening Where You Live

[Wayne Goodwin]

Two charged with stealing trucks in Lincoln County, selling them for scrap

FROM STAFF REPORTS

[e-mail]

LINCOLNTON — Lincoln County dep­uties arrested two men for stealing two trucks from a Lincolnton residence and selling them for scrap.

The trucks were reported stolen from a residence in the 1100 block of South N.C. 16 on May 16, a news release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said. The owner told deputies he had recently bought the trucks, both of which had refrigerated box beds, were unlicensed and did not run. A dual-axle trailer with Virginia license plates was also reported stolen.

A contractor remodeling the residence told the owner two men had come by in a red truck and asked whether the two trucks were for sale. A neighbor said she saw the same red truck a few days ear­lier and noticed it had “Vandiver Towing” printed on its side.

On May 17, neighbors reported they saw two men wearing mechanic’s shirts pumping air into the tires of the two trucks at the residence. The two men left and returned in a red pickup truck with “Vandiv­er Towing” printed on the side. Detectives developed Terry Eugene Russell II, 25, of 6486 Forney Hill Road in Denver and Thomas Adam Vandiver, 23, of 840 Alexis High Shoals Road in Dallas as pos­sible suspects based on the evidence collected.

The investigation led detectives to Southern Scrap Company in Charlotte, where they learned the trucks had already been crushed.

The trailer was located at Vandiver’s residence.

Vandiver and Russell were arrested Monday and each was charged with one felony count of larceny, one felony count of receiving or transferring stolen vehi­cles and one felony count of possession of stolen goods.

The men were each held under a $15,000 secured bond. Both men are scheduled to appear in District Court on June 4.

[uno,dos,3]

Is what happening?

Morons breaking the law?

That happens everywhere.......of course smart people also break the law, but the statistics aren't a reliable source of the relationship between I.Q. and crime. Law enforcement builds impressive statics by catching dimwits at a much higher rate then the arrest rate for smarter crooks.