The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department has arrested two men believed to be responsible for several recent burglaries and thefts in DeKalb and other counties.
43 year old Martin Riley is charged with aggravated burglary and two counts of theft of property over $1,000. His brother, 49 year old Timothy Riley is charged with aggravated burglary and theft of property over $1,000. Both are residents of Poss Road, Smithville.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says the Riley brothers didn’t just allegedly steal small things, they also allegedly took large expensive household appliances. “We’ve recovered all kinds of stainless steel refrigerators, stainless steel stoves, stainless steel freezers, radios, cd players, microwaves, toaster ovens, anything they could go into a house and get.”
According to Sheriff Ray, the Riley’s favorite targets were lake homes although they allegedly burglarized other residences as well “They would make entry into the houses, mostly lake homes, where people are not there everyday, push all these appliances up next to the door or on the front porch, and then they would go, get a vehicle, come back and load it all up, and sell it right then.”
A couple of the break-ins, for which the Rileys are believed to have been responsible, were on Shady Drive and Ponder Road. “On September 9th, detectives investigated a break-in at a residence on Shady Drive where someone had stolen a lawn mower, a six foot trailer, and a generator. Another was on Ponder Road where they had broken into a cabin and stolen refrigerators and other appliances.”
Sheriff Ray says the Rileys also allegedly burglarized homes in the City of Smithville. “There have also been some cases in the City of Smithville with which we were able to help the Smithville Police Department. They (Rileys) took some of the same things they were taking out in the county such as lawn mowers. In one case they took lots of health and beauty aids that an individual had bought by the boxes, things like shampoo and toothpaste, and they (Rileys) sold that to an individual.”
The investigation also implicated the Rileys in a scheme to steal a bobcat. “A couple of weeks ago, there was a bobcat that was rented in Warren County. It was delivered here in the City of Smithville. These two individuals were involved with that. Martin Riley went up there (McMinnville) and gave the people at the rental center some fake information and when they brought the bobcat down here he and his brother Tim loaded the bobcat on a trailer and sold it to a man in Indiana. We’ve been working closely with the Warren County Sheriff’s Department on that case. The detective was also able to find the guy who still had the bobcat and they’re returning that to the Warren County Sheriff’s Department.”
After stealing the goods, Sheriff Ray says the Rileys then tried to sell them as quickly as possible. “We believe they went around the county, asking people if they wanted to buy a lawnmower or refrigerator or whatever, but the people who bought the items didn’t realize they were stolen. At one of the places where they sold some of the items, the guy (buyer) had a vehicle tag that was laying over on the ground, which was still in date. They (Rileys) took the tag, stole it from him, and put it on their vehicle.”
According to Sheriff Ray the Rileys didn’t just peddle the stolen goods locally. ” In one case, they took a lawnmower from one of the break-ins and sold it to a guy on the street in Nashville.”
He says in some cases, the Riley’s were so anxious to make a sale that it aroused the suspicion of the buyers. ” At two places in the county where they had made a sale, the people noticed something strange about the refrigerators because they were still cold. Some of them actually had ice still in the ice box.”
Sheriff Ray is asking for your help in this investigation. If you believe you may have made a purchase from the Rileys, please contact the Sheriff’s Department . “We’re posting their pictures at www.wjle.com. Look at them because even though you might not know who you bought it from, you might remember their faces. If you have bought any type of appliances, radios, lawn mowers, flat bed trailers or anything, contact us. We would like to look at it. We’re asking the community to help us get these items back to the victims.”
Sheriff Ray says you might also recognize the truck the Riley brothers were driving. “It was an early 90’s model S-10 pick up truck, long wheel base. It was gray at one time but they spray painted it a little darker color. It would look like a black truck now. We were able to find the truck and retrieve the stolen license plate and give it back to the owner.”
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