A Lawrence County, KY. man is in custody in West Virginia after police say he stole a truck containing a grave vault from the Callaham Funeral Home in Inez.
The theft happened around 2:45 P.M. on Saturday, February 4, in Inez, Ky.
According to Martin County Sheriff John H. Kirk, deputy James C. Kirk was patrolling on KY-292 south of Lovely and met the truck.
“When he met J.C., a lot of people get a little nervous when they meet a cop, and he cut across the yellow line. That got J.C.’s attention,” Sheriff Kirk said. “He cut back real quick and threw his hand up at J.C.”
About a mile down the road, deputy Kirk noticed what he initially believed was a sofa dumped by the roadside. but soon found out that was not the case.
“He turned around and went back, and it was a grave vault turned on its side,” said Sheriff Kirk.
Deputy Kirk immediately called Sheriff John Kirk, saying someone might have stolen a funeral home truck with a grave vault.
Sheriff John Kirk contacted Callaham Funeral Home director Kelly Callaham, who was unaware the truck was missing.
After reviewing the security video that showed the theft, director Callaham’s staff provided the sheriff’s office with the suspect’s name.
Deputies obtained a warrant for 24-year-old Marcus Dylan Thompson, whose address was given as being from Mingo County, W.Va. after learning that he was in West Virginia in the truck, though Marcus Thompson is actually from the Ulysses area of Lawrence County
“We got some pretty sound information,” said Sheriff Kirk.
The truck was recovered Sunday evening, February 5, in Varney, W.Va., where Marcum Thompson abandoned it and he had fled.
Early Monday morning, February 6, Delbarton, W.Va. residents John and Heather White’s German Shepherd dog alerted them to an intruder in their garage.
“He had broken in looking for stuff to steal. I’ve never really shared John’s love of trained German Shepherds, but this morning definitely changed my mind. Roxi will be getting steak for dinner tonight,” Heather White shared on Facebook.”
Mingo County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Thompson and transported him to the Southwestern Regional Jail in Holden in Logan County W.Va.Marcum Thompson is facing charges of *Burglary-1, *Battery of a Police Officer,
*Fugitive From Justice,
*Trespassing, and
*Escape (felony).
Marcus Thompson has a fairly large criminal past, after he has previously been arrested nine (9) times on thirty six (36) various criminal offenses since early November 2017 in eastern Kentucky; of which two (2) arrests were very recent.
This is a very grave offence.