Two men charged with theft

Published 9:35 pm Monday, May 2, 2011

The Pike County Sheriff’s Department has arrested two men in connection with an April 20 theft on County Road 7707 in Pike County.

Michael Lee Bass, 35, of Notasulga, has been charge with theft of property first degree and James Wallace Wilson, 25, of Dadeville, has been charged with receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled substance and carrying a concealed weapon.

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The stolen property included a 2011 Polaris Ranger valued at $10,000, a 2005 Anderson 18-foot equipment trailer valued at $4,000, two trolling motors and two Marine 12-volt batteries.

Pike County Sheriff Russell Thomas said Deputies Tommy Price and Loren Williams were patrolling the north end of Pike County and observed a white extended cab truck with out-of-county plates pulling a trailer similar to the one reported stolen.

“The truck was on a dirt road out on the north end of the county and the deputies noticed that the wheels and frames had been painted black,” Thomas said. “The deputies realized the trailer fit the description of the one that had been stolen so they made a traffic stop.”

Thomas said that the individuals in the truck were escorted to the sheriff’s office where the owner identified the trailer.

“Inside the trailer, there were batteries, air tanks and a wench,” Thomas said. “Things that could be used if someone had plans to steal anything.”

Thomas said a pistol and what appeared to be crystal meth were taken from the vehicle.

“There were several pages with a list of things that had apparently been stolen, including the 2011 Polaris, and of other things that were likely going to be stolen,” he said

Based on the information gathered during the interviews with the suspects, Thomas said, Pike County Sheriff’s Department located to stolen property with the assistance of the Montgomery, Elmore and Tallapoosa counties.

“The Polaris Ranger was located in Santuck in Elmore County,” Thomas said. “The equipment trailer and two Marine batteries were a recovered. The investigation also recovered two four-wheelers and a motorcycle at other locations.”

Bass and Wilson are being held in the Pike County jail, each on a $5,000 bond.

Thomas commended Price and Williams for their role in the recovery of the stolen property.

“They were very observant and it paid off in the arrest of the two suspects and the recovery of stolen property,” Russell said. “The investigation is ongoing and we expect to recover other property stolen from Pike County.”