Two Arrested in Three-County $40K Stolen Tools Operation

Curry Dodd, (30) and Jeffrey Whittaker (40), both of Brownsville.

Darren Doyle, story:
Two men were arrested and charged with felony theft after nearly a four-month investigation of a stolen tool operation that ended on Indian Creek Road in Brownsville.

According to Chief Deputy Clay Deweese of the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office, the investigation started back in March, with a Bowling Green police detective contacting Deweese about a suspect that might be located in Edmonson County.

In an interview with the Edmonson Voice, Deweese said he began his investigation soon after and that he received a tip one of the suspects could be located at 123 Indian Creek Road in Brownsville. He said law enforcement began looking for Curry Dodd, (30) of Brownsville, who reportedly drove a Ford F150 pickup.

Deweese said on April 28th he received a call from a Segal Road resident who said over $10,000 worth of tools were stolen from his construction trailer on a job site on Morgantown Road. That same day, someone reported a Ford pickup leaving that same job site at 4:30 in the morning with no headlights. 

The next day, Deputy Deweese received information that a large amount of Milwaukee tools were pawned by Curry Dodd at Walk N Talk Pawn, located on Fairview Avenue in Bowling Green. Deweese said he obtained video footage of Dodd's truck with tools in the pickup bed and that Dodd had signed the paperwork to pawn the tools.

Those pawned items contained tools that were specifically marked by the Segal Road resident who had reported his tools stolen the day before, according to Deweese, and that all the tools pawned by Dodd were seized by law enforcement. Over $2K worth of the Segal resident's tools were recovered here, Deweese stated.

Another theft was reported soon after, at a difference job site on Morgantown Road with over $1600 worth of tools begin stolen. An arrest warrant was then issued for Curry Dodd. 

Deweese stated that he arrived at 123 Indian Creek Road the next day and made contact with a female resident. He said there was a small outbuilding at the residence where he saw a large quantity of Dewalt tools in plain sight. Deweese said he received permission from the female to search the property about the same time Jeffrey Whittaker, (40) of Brownsville came out of the building and locked it up. 

Deweese said Whittaker denied any knowledge of the tools being stolen but Dodd fled on foot. Canine units were utilized and tracked Dodd out to HWY 259 but the scent was lost, he said. 

On June 11th, Deweese said that Dodd was picked up on a traffic stop on Scottsville Road by BGPD officers and that Dodd was transferred into Deweese's custody that day for the investigation. He said Dodd also denied knowledge of the stolen tools but there was enough evidence for charges. Whittaker was arrested the next day at 123 Indian Creek Road. 

In total, around $40,000 of stolen tools were discovered in the investigation, Deweese said, with most of it already being recovered.

Kentucky State Police also investigated a related theft incident on the Edmonson-Barren line during the same time, Deweese said.

Both Dodd and Whittaker were arrested and charged with Theft by unlawful taking or disposition over $10K, a Class C felony, as well as Criminal mischief third degree. If found guilty, each faces five to ten years in prison.

More charges are pending in Warren County, according to Deweese.