Authorities in Monroe County have nabbed three suspects and recovered a stolen tractor, alongside other missing items and illegal drugs, following an investigation that began in late December. FOX59 reports that the stolen Case Farmall tractor, valued at $100,000, was spotted at a South Cardwell Road property leading to the arrests.
The investigation began on Sunday when Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a property on the 7000 block of West Matthews Road to investigate a burglary. The complainant reported that several tools and two vehicles, including the tractor, were missing. However, on Tuesday, an Indiana State Police detective believed they had located the tractor, visible from the roadway. This discovery helped law enforcement piece together the situation, leading them to monitor the location, according to detailed information from the Bloomingtonian.
According to WBIW, after two vehicles departed from the suspect location, officials made traffic stops where they found methamphetamine; this led to a search warrant that unearthed the stolen tractor, another vehicle, and most of the power tools initially reported stolen, and even an unrelated stolen vehicle from Marion County was also recovered.
The discovery saw the arrest of three individuals: Tiffany Steele and Michael Ratliff, who face several felony charges, including possession of methamphetamine with enhancing circumstances, and Troy McCormick, charged with theft exceeding $50,000, their charges were disclosed in statements obtained by Bloomingtonian, additionally, a woman found on the premises is facing charges for possession of methamphetamine with a firearm enhancement; the investigation remains active, and all suspects maintain their presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
