The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office has released more information on a vehicle stop near Chillicothe early Friday morning, which resulted in the arrest of a Trenton man.
Sheriff Steve Cox reports Deputy Nicolas Leadbetter checked the vehicle on LIV 235 after seeing it stopped and then commit a traffic violation. The stop resulted in the seizure of alleged methamphetamine or drug paraphernalia and the arrest of 38-year-old Curtis Scott Wheelbarger.
Wheelbarger was charged in Livingston County Circuit Court with felony possession of a controlled substance. The passenger in the incident cleaned up the trash dumped out of the vehicle and faced a potential littering charge. Deputies also observed a large number of expensive tools during the search of the vehicle. The occupants had an explanation for the tools being present, and Cox adds that no one else knew these items were stolen.
The Chillicothe Police Department began an investigation of burglary and theft which took place at a Chillicothe business last Thursday night where an estimated $4,000 in tools were stolen. The Chillicothe Police and the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office have collaborated on the investigation, which resulted in several officers from both agencies going to a Wheeling residence early this (Wednesday) morning.
Cox reports a search of the property resulted in the seizure of a significant amount of tools stolen from the local business last Thursday night and the same tools observed by sheriff’s office staff during Friday morning’s stop. Additional information and evidence was collected at multiple locations in Livingston County.
Two suspects are in custody on other charges at this time with additional charges on these two plus other suspects in the near future. The investigation will continue with additional interviews and return the property to the business owner.
