ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2008, THE JACKSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT RECEIVED A CALL ABOUT SOME WELL PIPE BEING STOLEN IN POINSETT COUNTY NEAR THE PITTS COMMUNITY.  AN EYEWITNESS OBSERVED SOME SUBJECTS IN A BLUE DODGE PICKUP LEAVING THE SCENE WITH THE PIPE IN THE BACK OF THE TRUCK.  THE WITNESS ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING TOWARD GRUBBS.

SHERIFF DAVID LUCAS AND INVESTIGATOR DAVID PLATT RESPONDED TO THE CALL. ONE OF THE OWNERS WAS CONTACTED BY CELL PHONE AND HE ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY 18 TOWARD NEWPORT.  HE THEN ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD TURNED ONTO HIGHWAY 384 TOWARD NEWPORT.  THE OWNER THEN ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE TURNED ONTO JACKSON COUNTY ROAD # 47 AND THAT A PERSON HAD GOTTEN OUT OF THE TRUCK ACROSS FROM A RESIDENCE ON THAT ROAD. THE OWNER ADVISED THAT THE PERSON HAD GOTTEN DOWN IN SOME WEEDS NEAR A WELL SITE AND HAD NOT LEFT THE LOCATION.

SHERIFF LUCAS AND INVESTIGATOR PLATT THEN STOPPED AT THE LOCATION WHERE THE PERSON HAD BEEN SEEN GETTING OUT OF THE TRUCK.  UPON SEARCHING THE WEEDS, THE OFFICERS LOCATED A FEMALE IDENTIFIED AS BEING LORETTA MURPHY OF CAMPBELL STATION AND SHE WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY.  A SHORT TIME LATER, CONTACT WAS MADE WITH ANTHONY MURPHY OF CAMPBELL STATION BY CELL PHONE AND HE WAS ASKED WHERE THE WELL PIPE WAS AT.  HE ADVISED SHERIFF LUCAS THAT THE PIPE WAS AT SULLINS CEMETERY.  SHERIFF LUCAS ALSO ADVISED ANTHONY MURPHY TO SURRENDER HIMSELF AT THE JAIL.  MR. MURPHY SURRENDERED HIMSELF A SHORT TIME LATER AT THE JAIL AND HE WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY. SHERIFF LUCAS AND INVESTIGATOR PLATT THEN WENT TO SULLINS CEMETERY WHERE THE PIPE WAS RECOVERED. 

THE OWNER WAS ALSO CONTACTED AND THE PROPERTY WAS RETURNED TO THE OWNER.  THE ESTIMATED VALUE OF THE PROPERTY STOLEN AND RECOVERED WAS APPROXIMATELY $2,200.00.  BOTH MR. AND MS. MURPHY WERE TURNED OVER TO THE CUSTODY OF THE POINSETT COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND WERE LATER CHARGED WITH THEFT OF PROPERTY.