Farm Tractor Stolen  

The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help finding a farm tractor that was stolen from Taylor’s Ruritan Club on Kinser Road in June.

The department is offering a reward of up to $500 to the person who is able to provide information that leads to recovery of the 2002 Massey-Ferguson tractor. The tractor had a front-end loader attachment when it was stolen on June 7.

Any information about the tractor should be directed to the criminal investigations division at 728-7336. The amount to be paid from the reward fund will be based on the value of the information locating the vehicle.

New Home Vandalism on Frontage Road 

Bradley County Sheriff Tim Gobble is offering a reward for information that leads to the identity of the person or persons who vandalized a new home that is under construction at 8417 Frontage Road.

Investigation by the criminal investigations division revealed sometime between 11:30 p.m. on August 20 and 8 a.m. on August 21 someone broke a window in one of the rooms and placed a water hose with a sprinkler attachment inside. The water ran for several hours and when the owner arrived he found the walls and flooring in several rooms had damage.

He estimated total damages could exceed $10,000.

Sheriff Gobble has offered a reward of up to $500 for the right information, however the amount paid will be determined by its value in solving the crime.

Anyone who can identify the people involved in damage to the home should contact the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office at 728-7337.

A Charleston woman says a man who tricked her into opening a locked door forced his way into her home looking for prescription medication.

Bradley County Sheriff’s deputies responded at 1:23 Friday morning to a residence on Billingsley Street in Charleston. The woman reported the male voice outside the door identified himself as her son so she unlocked the door. He then burst into the room, pointing a gun toward the woman’s chest and demanding her money and prescription medication. When she started calling for help the man left in a dark-colored Ford Ranger.

Patrol deputies who responded to the 9-1-1 call reported the man left empty-handed.

The criminal investigations division is investigating the attempted robbery. Any information about the crime or the suspect should be directed to the sheriff’s office at 728-7337.

Bradley County Sheriff’s detectives worked through the morning and into the afternoon on Monday investigating the theft of more than $2,000 of a Zale Drive family’s belongings.

Early in the investigation by Det. Kevin White evidence that was collected from the scene of the crime and analyzed in the sheriff’s office lab helped to identify David Alexander Herron as a possible suspect. Det. White then spent several hours looking for Herron before finally locating him that afternoon.

Herron, 18, has been charged with theft over $1,000 and aggravated burglary, both of which are felonies. During the investigation White made a full recovery of the stolen property that included three safes, jewelry, knives, a CD player, a DVD player, a police scanner, and coins. Also found at his residence was additional property that is currently being checked for identification.

Sheriff Tim Gobble pointed out that from the time the burglary was initially reported until charges were filed was only a matter of hours.

The value of the loss and recovery was $2,706.

L-R Capt. Steve Lawson, Sgt. Monica Datz, Sheriff Tim Gobble, and Det. Kevin White with the property taken from Zale Drive.

UPDATE - August 23  at 2 p.m.

Additional investigation by the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office into a number of car burglaries in the area of Whisperwood Subdivision and the Tasso community this week has resulted in new charges against the three suspects.

Detective Joseph Lea initially charged Keith Allen McGill, 19, Larry Wilson McGill, 21, and Robert Allen Johnson, 21, with two counts of burglary and two counts of theft. His investigation revealed there were other victims, and on Wednesday the trio was additionally charged with eight counts of burglary and five counts of theft under $500.

All of the stolen property has been recovered. Det. Lea spent this week matching up what was recovered with victims, seeking out those who had not reported their losses.

None of the burglarized vehicles were locked. The sheriff’s office reminds everyone to lock your car whenever you leave it unattended.

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The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office during the night arrested three men in connection with burglaries at a business on Weatherly Switch Trail and a vehicle in the Tasso community.

The suspects were taken into custody after patrol deputies Tim Robinson and Jody Musselwhite found a vehicle parked beside the road in Whisperwood Subdivision. Sitting on the console in the front seat was a soft drink cup containing several pieces of ice.

The two officers placed the vehicle under observation, and a few minutes later three men returned. Keith Allen McGill, 19, Larry Wilson McGill, 21, and Robert Allen Johnson, 21, were taken into custody.

During questioning detectives learned that other vehicle burglaries had occurred in the Tasso area. Detective Joseph Lea made a full recovery of property taken in last night’s burglaries but not all can be traced to an owner because some of the thefts have not been reported.

Det. Lea is asking anyone who resides in the Tasso community who has noticed anything missing from a vehicle to please contact the criminal investigations division of the sheriff’s office at 728-7337 to file a report.

The suspects are charged with theft over $500, theft over $1,000, and two counts of burglary. New charges could be filed as additional victims are identified.

Sheriff Tim Gobble gave credit for the success of the investigation to Deputies Robinson and Musselwhite and other members of the patrol division. Offering assistance were Sgt. Bill Coultry, Sgt. Clint Denney, Deputy Zeke Pike, Deputy Laura Lane, Deputy Casey Kerr and Lt. Terry Norwood.

The arrest of the three suspects last night is in addition to the eight juveniles and four adults who were arrested during an investigation of multiple car burglaries ten days ago. That investigation is also continuing.

In most if not all of the thefts only unlocked vehicles were targeted. The sheriff’s office reminds everyone to lock your car when it is left unattended.

Keith Allen McGill
Larry Wilson McGill
Robert Allen Johnson