Huge equipment theft operation busted

Walter GeigerGood detective work and a timely social media post led Lamar County investigators to a residence at 954 Community House Rd. in Redbone Sept. 26 where they recovered $500,000 worth of stolen vehicles and other equipment and made one arrest.The string of events leading to the raid began with a traffic stop in Pike County where Howard Jeffrey Stanley, 50, was arrested for driving on the wrong side of the road. At the time, Stanley was driving a truck registered to Kenneth Joe Taylor, 48, of the Community House Road address. Stanley had outstanding warrants from Bartow County and was arrested. The vehicle he was driving was turned over to a female passenger, 35-year-old Tasha Quinn, at his request. A mask like one worn during the theft was seen in the vehicle.The Pike jailer who booked Stanley then came across a social media post by Butts County sheriff Gary Long regarding thefts at Ga. Elite Trucks on Alabama Road in Jackson.The man the jailer had just booked strongly resembled the man in security photos of the theft there and he contacted Jackson police who questioned the man. That led JPD investigators to the Community House Road location where they hoped to find the mask.Instead, they spotted one of the stolen trucks from the road and contacted Lamar investigators who obtained search warrants.The subsequent search led to the recovery of multiple stolen items including eight trucks, two large generators, five trailers and four all terrain vehicles. Multiple firearms were also recovered.The recovered items had been reported stolen over a wide area of Georgia including Taylor, Bartow, Paulding, Walton, Butts, Cherokee and Polk counties.Taylor was arrested and charged with theft by receiving stolen property, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of articles with altered identification marks.Quinn was under surveillance for a time in the Acworth area before being arrested. She is in the Butts County jail charged with three counts of auto theft.Stanley is being held in Bartow County on the outstanding warrants. He will also face auto theft charges in Butts County.Paulding County investigators raided a chop shop operation there Friday based on information developed in this case.’The investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected,’ sheriff Brad White said.Taylor had previous felony convictions for the theft of over $1,000,000 worth of government equipment in Attala County, Mississippi about eight years ago. He was sentenced to eight years in prison.While incarcerated at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility he was reduced from trustee status after being found with a cell phone in his cell.