Alert officer nabs alleged shoplifters
An Oneida police officer on routine patrol foiled an alleged shoplifting operation at the Wal-Mart Supercenter early Saturday morning.
According to arrest warrants, two Whitley City men — Joshua E. Coffey, age 24, and Brandon D. New, age 22 — were arrested by Oneida Police Department officer Jason Pike after Pike allegedly watched the two men steal a lawnmower from the store.
The warrant, filed by Pike, stated that the officer observed a “dark-colored Toyota Four-Runner pulling an empty trailer” traveling south on U.S. Hwy. 27. Officers had been made aware that a vehicle matching the description had stolen a lawn tractor from Wal-Mart’s outdoors Lawn & Garden lot days earlier, the warrant stated, and Pike watched as the vehicle turned into the shopping center parking lot.
Allegedly, Pike watched from behind a nearby business as the occupants of the vehicle loaded a lawn tractor onto the trailer and left the parking lot headed north on Hwy. 27.
Officer Pike, Assistant Chief Andy Lewallen and Sgt. Brett Bond caught up with the vehicle near the VFW post in north Oneida, and took Coffey and new into custody. Allegedly, New admitted to taking the other lawn tractor three days earlier.
Both suspects were booked at the Oneida Police Department and transported to the Scott County Jail in Huntsville. They were charged with two counts of theft over $1,000, vandalism, and possession of burglary tools.