Stakeout Recovers Stolen CTL, Meth

A stakeout resulted in the recovery of a stolen Kentucky DOT compact track loader worth $101,565 and a bonus for law enforcement: a large quantity of crystal meth.

The Marshall County (Kentucky) Daily reported that the 2019 Bobcat T870 CTL was stolen from an area on Interstate 69 and Exit 21 in Graves County. The machine was being used to clean up tornado-related debris.

After an investigation, sheriff’s deputies found the skid steer hidden in a rural and remote area of extreme southern Graves County near the Tennessee state line. The machine was stashed in a barn a few miles south of Lynnville.

A surveillance operation was conducted for 41 consecutive hours, the Daily reports.

At that point, two suspects drove to the barn in a pickup. One of the occupants entered the skid steer and began traveling on a nearby road being followed by the second suspect in the pickup truck. After traveling a mile or so, they turned and drove to the back of a muddy field and were in the process of hiding the machine in thick brush. Sheriff's deputies then made two arrests.

Crystal meth and related drug paraphernalia were found in the pickup truck.

Source: Marshall County Daily