Published: November 11, 2009 08:35 pm      

Large number of stolen DVDs, shoes discovered

Man, juvenile son facing charges

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.