The McArthur Police Department recently reported
that on Friday, March 26, an officer was requested to respond to Bud’s One-Stop
gas station regarding reports of a suspicious vehicle. Interim Chief Thomas
Heaton arrived and located the vehicle, which had no visible license plates and
damage to several windows, sitting in the parking lot unattended.
During the investigation that followed, Zachary
Barnett, 31, of McArthur, arrived and claimed possession of the vehicle.
Barnett had a license plate in-hand and stated he
borrowed it from his girlfriend’s residence. Heaton observed several criminal
indicators while speaking with Zachary and requested assistance from the Vinton
County Sheriff’s Office (VCSO). K-9 Zara was then deployed to perform an
exterior search of the vehicle for suspected illegal narcotics. K-9 Zara showed
a positive indication on the vehicle. During a search of the vehicle, another
license plate was found that had previously been reported stolen to the VCSO.
Deputies on scene began investigating this incident
further. During the investigation, Barnett allegedly attempted to destroy
several items of suspected illegal narcotics. Heaton then made contact with the
registered owner of the license plate that Zachary had in his possession upon
arrival, who advised this plate was, in fact, stolen.
Barnett was arrested by the VCSO and several
charges have been filed including theft of license plates, criminal trespass
and possession of criminal tools. Other charges may be forthcoming pending
investigation.
Heaton would like to thank VCSO deputies for their
assistance with this investigation.