The Smithville Police Department has taken a theft charge against a 19 year old man who has admitted to selling a utility trailer that didn’t belong to him.
Police Chief Mark Collins told WJLE Friday that Colton Gene Young of 307 Hardaway Street, McMinnville will be served with a warrant for theft of property over $1,000. He is currently in the White County Jail on separate charges. Although his address is listed as McMinnville, Chief Collins said Young has actually been living in Sparta.
The theft of the 18 foot black heavy duty dual axle trailer with a wooden floor occurred on Saturday, July 29 and was reported on Monday, July 31.
(VIEW VIDEO OF SMITHVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT FACEBOOK POST OF THE SUSPECT’S TRUCK (DARK TRUCK) AND THE UNSUSPECTING BUYER OF THE UTILITY TRAILER IN THE WHITE TRUCK )
According to Chief Collins, Young spotted the utility trailer setting behind F.Z. Webb and Sons Pharmacy on South Congress Boulevard and stopped to take a picture of it. He then posted the photo on facebook marketplace advertising the trailer for sale. After getting a response from a man in Rutherford County, Young set up a meeting with the unsuspecting customer at the trailer to make the sale. The customer paid for the trailer, hooked it up to his truck and drove away.
After the theft was reported, Smithville Police launched an investigation and discovered that the transaction between Young and the buyer was captured on video from a nearby business. Police later asked for the public’s help in solving the crime by posting on the department’s Facebook page a still frame photo from the video showing Young’s truck.
Chief Collins said police then got a break in the case. “We had a ton of responses from that facebook posting. One man called in and said he had seen that vehicle in Sparta. We called the Sparta Police Department and they went to that location and found the vehicle,” said Chief Collins.
Lieutenant Detective Matt Holmes then went to Sparta and interviewed Young who admitted to having committed this theft and others. “When we got there he told us he had seen our facebook post and was spray painting his truck to change the color from black to blue. He said when he saw a trailer setting somewhere, he would take a picture of it and list it online for sale on the facebook marketplace. People would contact him through facebook if they were interested. They would call him and he would say ‘I’ll be there in five minutes’. He would meet them at the trailer, get the money and then they would hook up the trailer and drive off with it thinking they had bought it,” said Lieutenant Detective Holmes.
“Through our interview with Young we were able to obtain the name and location of this guy who came to buy the trailer. Young said the trailer was in Rutherford County. We sent a Rutherford County deputy to that residence to see if the trailer was there. The following day we went and recovered the trailer. It was still there but again we don’t think he (buyer) was aware of what was going on and he has not been charged,” said Chief Collins.
“Through our investigation, Young became a suspect in thefts discovered in White County. We believe this guy is responsible for trailer thefts in multiple jurisdictions,” he added.
Chief Collins thanked Lieutenant Detective Matt Holmes for his work in helping solve the case and to the man who provided the tip. Because of his helpful information, the caller will get a cash reward from Crime Stoppers.
Chief Collins cautions anyone who is looking to buy through an on-line post to” be sure to check what you are buying. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is,” he said.