Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said his office has received several theft reports in recent days. Deputies began investigations and soon developed a suspect which led to a traffic stop. In the vehicle were a couple of stolen items.
Joshua Len Smith, aged 40, was taken into custody for driving on a suspended driver’s license and transported to Newton County Sheriff’s Office. A subsequent search warrant was served and led to the recovery of numerous stolen items and other items believed to be stolen. These items were valued at several thousand dollars. Also located were various items of drug paraphernalia and multiple marijuana plants, both inside and outside the residence. Smith was additionally charged with numerous counts of felony theft by receiving, theft of property, breaking or entering, manufacture of a class VI controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a schedule iii controlled substance and being a habitual offender. A judge set his bond at $10,000, cash only.
Sheriff Wheeler said, “people work way too hard to have people stealing their hard-earned stuff. I’m glad my guys were able to quickly run these things down and recover a lot of property. We have been able to contact several of the owners of the property and are working to identify others.” If you have had items stolen and haven’t contacted the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Wheeler encourages you to do so. “We may have items that we get back to the rightful owners.”
Sheriff Wheeler further stated “the investigation is still ongoing and we have additional suspects that can probably expect a visit in the near future.”
