Citizen turns police onto multi-county crime spree

A tip from a concerned citizen led state police to arrest a Bartholomew County man over the weekend suspected of being behind a multi-county crime spree.

Indiana State Police Trooper Stephen Wheeles responded to a report Saturday of a suspicious person report at the White River Fish and Game Club in the Rockford area.

While waiting for police to arrive, the concerned citizen obtained an Indiana identification card from the suspicious person who was driving a truck, identifying him as Jason Artis,” Sgt. Donald Gregory of the ISP said. The truck sped away with a big screen TV in the bed before troopers arrived to investigate.

Artis, 36, Elizabethton, was arrested on charges of auto theft, theft, theft of checks/check deception, receiving/possession stolen property and burglary/attempted burglary.

When he arrived at the fish and game club, Wheeles was told a man in a red pickup had been hanging around one of the trash bins and provided the vehicle’s plate number along with the identification card he had left behind.

Wheeles located items in the trash can that appeared to be stolen from a residence in Seymour. A check on the truck’s registration plate came back to an Elizabethtown address.

Troopers were informed by the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department that the owner of the truck in question wanted to report his truck stolen as they headed toward the address. Troopers met with the truck’s owner, who stated he discovered it missing after getting off work. It had been parked in the Azalia area.

Troopers then went to the address on the paperwork found in the trash bin. Troopers discovered that the home owners were unaware their home had recently been burglarized. During the investigation it was revealed the suspect had attempted to cash one of the stolen checks at a Seymour business. The pickup, television and other stolen items have been recovered.

An off-duty trooper in the Columbus area spotted the suspect at a local store while troopers were still uncovering the details of the case. The suspect was arrested with the assistance of Columbus Police officers.

The ongoing investigation allegedly implicates the suspect in an attempted burglary of a Seymour pharmacy and theft of money from a purse in a parked car at the Seymour Cracker Barrel.

Wheeles is currently looking for the victim of the theft at Cracker Barrel, which took place between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Saturday. Wheeles can be reached at the Seymour Post 812-522-1441.