Kentucky man charged with farming equipment thefts

0

Police have tied a Kentucky man to theft of farm equipment and a mower that occurred in late May in the western part of Jackson County.

Robert C. Lawson, 31, of Jeffersontown, Kentucky, faces a theft charge, a Level 6 felony, after a Toro zero-turn riding mower reportedly taken from White River Ag in Medora was found at his residence, police said.

Lawson, who has family that lives in Jackson County, currently is being held at Adair County Jail in Columbia, Kentucky, on unrelated charges.

Police said the theft of three lawn mowers and a golf cart was reported May 26 at White River Ag on State Road 235 just north of Medora. Those thefts occurred sometime between May 23 and 24, Lt. Andy Wayman with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department said.

During the same period, a zero-turn lawnmower was reported missing from a farm about 2 miles away from White River Ag on West County Road 100S. That theft was reported to police May 31, and investigators believe the two incidents are connected, Wayman said.

In recent days, the Jeffersontown Police Department in Kentucky arrested Lawson on unrelated charges. That’s when they discovered the mower at his house and realized it had been stolen from elsewhere, according to a news release.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department was contacted, and Wayman and Lt. Darin Downs met with investigators in Kentucky. They later interviewed Lawson, who confessed to stealing the zero-turn lawn mower found at his residence, police said.

Wayman said a second suspect is still being sought, and police in Jeffersontown know of the person and are working to make contact.

Lawson and the other suspect likely used a trailer to haul the heavy equipment, he said.

Police believe Lawson and the other suspect are the only two people connected to the crimes, Wayman said.

Investigators are requesting a warrant in Jackson County to be filed for Lawson’s arrest, and he will later be transported to the jail in Brownstown.

He’s currently being held at the Adair County Jail on charges including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), possession of drug paraphernalia, two outstanding warrants out of Louisville and pending charges of felony theft, according to Adair County Sheriff Harrison Moss.

No posts to display