Stolen goods found
Published 7:57 pm Thursday, March 13, 2014
![Sheriff Russell Thomas said an anonymous tip helped lead deputies to recover these cigarettes, soft drinks and cases of beer stolen Wednesday morning from a store in Goshen. Two individuals have been charged in connection with the burglary and transfer of stolen goods.](https://www.troymessenger.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2014/03/3-14-Goshen-burglary-web.jpg)
Sheriff Russell Thomas said an anonymous tip helped lead deputies to recover these cigarettes, soft drinks and cases of beer stolen Wednesday morning from a store in Goshen. Two individuals have been charged in connection with the burglary and transfer of stolen goods.
GOSHEN — The Pike County Sheriff’s Office arrested two people in connection with Wednesday morning’s burglary of Rodger’s Grocery.
Sheriff Russell Thomas said the arrests came after an anonymous tip on Thursday.
“During the course of the day and during the course of the investigation, I received a phone call at about 3:30 p.m. and I was provided some good information,” he said.
The caller said Thomas would find some of the stolen goods at Hillside Mobile Home Park. Hillside resident Courtney Dobbs, 24, was charged with receiving stolen property from Terry Stokes, 39. Stokes was charged with the third degree burglary.
“He confessed,” Thomas said. “He also confessed to selling these items for $50.”
Recovered were several cases of beer, packs of cigarettes, chewing tobacco and 2-liter soft drinks. Storeowner John Rodgers said much of the merchandise was still missing.
But, he was not expecting to recover any of the stolen goods “because you can sell so much of this so fast,” Rodgers said. “Once it’s sold, it’s gone. But, I got it back so quick, you wouldn’t believe.”
The burglary happened sometime between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. Wednesday, according to the sheriff’s office. In addition to merchandise like dog food, cigarette lighters and beer, Stokes stole $38 in gas and a television.
Thomas said Stokes has a long history with the sheriff’s office. He was out on parole until 2025. The sheriff’s office will ask that a warrant be issued so that Stokes may serve time for the previous crime and be tried for the current one.
“With the number of crimes he served time on, he should’ve still been incarcerated,” Thomas said. “It’s frustrating. We have to go back and clean up the same mess again.”