Large number of stolen DVDs, shoes discovered

Local News

Related Photos

November 11, 2009

Man, juvenile son facing charges

By CHRIS HARRIS, CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Wed Nov 11, 2009, 08:36 PM EST

A Tennessee man and his son are facing criminal charges after the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department turned up hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen goods.

According to the sheriff’s department, Deputy Danny Pevley arrested Jack Roberts, 44, of Lebanon, Tenn., at the Eastway Grocery, located four miles east of Somerset on Ky. 80, after he was spotted suspiciously sitting in his vehicle. During an investigation of the suspect, a computer check was conducted, revealing Roberts to be wanted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms for possession of stolen property.

What authorities turned up following this arrest was staggering in its scope: $500,440 worth of stolen DVDs, 1,100 cases of shoes worth $360,000, a stolen truck, and more.

Authorities were given consent to search three storage buildings in southern Pulaski County — two of them in Roberts’ name, another in the name of his 17-year-old son, who arrived at the scene and gave a statement.

Inside the three storage facilities, the sheriff’s department located thousands of DVDs, drugs including Equate ibuprofen and Walgreen’s vitamins, and a Chevy S-10 pick-up that had been taken from J.R. Jackson Auto Sales in Burnside, along with some Goodyear tires.

According to the sheriff’s department, Roberts and his juvenile son had ended up with the merchandise which was stolen from a tractor trailer in Tennessee. The truck and trailer were stolen and taken to Pulaski County, and then Roberts and his son allegedly drove back down to Tennessee in the truck and stole the shoes from Genesco, a footwear retailer, in Hendersonville, Tenn.

Roberts and his son also had a booth set up at the Lake Cumberland Flea Market and were selling the stolen goods. Some of the items have been recovered from there, according to the sheriff’s department.

The victims have been contacted to come and claim their stolen property, as local enforcement has been taking inventory of everything found in the storage sheds. It’s taken nearly a week to sort through all the stolen items and return them to their rightful owners, said Det. Bobby Jones of the sheriff’s department.

Others are suspected to be involved in this crime, said Jones, and Roberts has been extradited, and is in the custody of the U.S. Marshall Service, according to WLEX TV News. Felony charges for the stolen merchandise are likely on the way, likely from Tennessee, as the Kentucky State Police, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and other agencies are involved in the case.

The juvenile was charged with receiving stolen property as relating to the truck. Charges regarding the shoes and DVDs are pending.

Text Only

Local News

Local man airlifted after two-vehicle crash
May 25, 2012 1 Photo
Mopar Mania to highlight Cruise
May 25, 2012 1 Photo
‘Dry’ forces concerned about wet signs
May 25, 2012 1 Photo
Visitors rave about beauty of Lake Cumberland in May
May 24, 2012 1 Photo
Pulaski’s Memorial Day weekend to be packed
May 24, 2012 1 Photo
Locally-born Rotary leader Pigman dies at 78
May 24, 2012
Technology summit gets underway
May 24, 2012 1 Photo
Local Democrats diss Obama
May 23, 2012
Floyd edges incumbent in city council run-off
May 23, 2012
Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

May 22, 2012 1 Photo
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Related Photos

Large number of stolen DVDs, shoes discovered

Man, juvenile son facing charges

Site Map