JOHNSON COUNTY – A Magoffin County man was arrested Sunday night in Johnson County for allegedly attempting to cut car parts off a vehicle that had been broken down beside the road for several days.
According to the arrest citation, on April 17, Johnson County Sheriff Department deputies observed a truck sitting behind a car that had been broken down on the side of the road for several days at the intersection of KY 40 and US 460. One of the deputies pulled in behind the truck and reported seeing two males standing next to the vehicle. When the other deputy arrived, he noticed the car was up on a jack and, after looking under the vehicle, the officer noted that the catalytic converter was half cut off.
The driver of the truck, identified as Jayde Arnett, 24, of East Maple Street, in Salyersville, only had a Kentucky ID and when police ran his information dispatch advised he had a DUI suspended license.
According to the police report, Arnett told police he was asked to pull the car back to Oil Springs for another person, but when police ran the plates, the vehicle did not belong to the person Arnett named to police.
Arnett said that person was supposed to meet him at the location, but he never showed up.
Several feet away police found a saw one of the male subjects had thrown from the scene when police arrived. The passenger said Arnett was the one taking the converter and Arnett later told police he wasn’t cutting the truck part, but he was holding the light.
When police searched the truck, they found a small amount of marijuana and a set of scales. A wrecker service recovered the car and the truck.
Arnett was placed under arrest and transported to the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, where he was released the next day, pending future court dates.
Arnett is facing the following charges, with an arraignment set for May 25 in Johnson County district court: driving on a DUI suspended license, first offense; theft by unlawful taking parts from a vehicle; tampering with physical evidence; possession of marijuana; and buying or possessing drug paraphernalia.
Editor’s Note: The indictment or charge of a person by a grand jury or otherwise is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
