Authorities in Jonesboro have charged three individuals with felony vehicle theft, alleging they towed a woman's stalled SUV from a parking lot and sold it to a salvage yard, where it was crushed.
Craighead County District Judge David Boling found probable cause Monday to charge Lindsay Leighann Baker, 44, and Ronnie Lee Hicks, 39, with theft of property valued at more than $1,000 but less than $5,000, a Class D felony. Earlier, on July 20, Judge Thomas Fowler charged Ladarius Dejuan Lee in connection with the same incident.
The case began on July 15 when the vehicle's owner contacted the Jonesboro Police Department to report that her Nissan Pathfinder was missing. According to a probable-cause affidavit, the woman had left the SUV in a parking lot on North Culberhouse Street after it broke down on July 12. By the next morning, the vehicle was gone.
Using Flock license plate reader data, detectives tracked the SUV being towed by a Chevrolet Silverado on July 13. The Silverado was registered to Baker, who, according to court documents, later told police that Lee had asked her to help tow what he claimed was his vehicle.
Further investigation revealed that Hicks sold the Pathfinder to Kings Recycling the same day for $433.20. When detectives visited the salvage yard on July 16, employees informed them that the vehicle had already been crushed.
Police say surveillance footage corroborated the events, showing Baker, Hicks, and Lee jointly removing the SUV and assisting in its transport to the recycling facility. In a recorded interview, Baker stated that Hicks kept around $200 from the sale and gave the remaining money to Lee.
Hicks is being held on a $25,000 bond, while Baker's bond is set at $7,500. Lee, who was reportedly on parole at the time of the incident and has prior theft convictions, is being held on a $15,000 bond. All three are scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 30.