The Monroe County Sheriff's Office is asking the public for help tracking down two women wanted on felony warrants tied to an alleged burglary and theft scheme. Willow Lacinda Mae Exline, 26, of Calhoun, and Leatha A. Cardin, 60, of Sweetwater, are both named in a wanted notice issued Thursday, with charges ranging from conspiracy to commit burglary to theft of property worth thousands of dollars.
According to a notice posted by Sheriff Tommy Jones on Facebook, Exline faces charges of criminal conspiracy to commit burglary and criminal conspiracy to commit theft of property over $6,000. The notice lists her date of birth as July 3, 2000, and her address as 1288 Athens Road in Calhoun, a detail that places her residence in neighboring Polk County rather than Monroe County itself. Calhoun sits along the Hiwassee River in Polk County, according to background compiled by the Companion Funeral & Cremation Service, illustrating how the case reaches across county lines even though the warrant originates in Monroe County.
Cardin, listed with a date of birth of September 30, 1965, and an address on Parris Road in Sweetwater, is wanted on a charge of burglary-theft over $1,000. The sheriff's office is asking anyone with information about either woman's whereabouts to come forward, and lists (423) 442-3911 or 9-1-1 as ways to reach dispatch.
What the Charges Could Mean Under Tennessee Law
The dollar figures attached to these warrants matter under Tennessee's theft statute. Theft of property valued between $2,500 and $10,000 is classified as a Class D felony under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-105, carrying a statutory penalty of two to 12 years in prison and fines up to $5,000, according to legal research compiled by Gary's Bonding. That range covers the theft-over-$6,000 allegation against Exline.
Cardin's burglary-theft charge, involving property valued between $1,000 and $2,500, falls under the Class E felony tier, punishable by one to six years in prison and fines up to $3,000, per the same statute as cited by the McDaniel Law Firm. Because conspiracy charges are graded one classification lower than the underlying offense under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-12-103 and § 39-12-107, Exline's conspiracy to commit theft over $6,000 would be treated as a Class E felony as well, according to the Oberman & Rice Law Firm. These figures represent the statutory exposure tied to the charges listed in the warrant notice, not a confirmed outcome, since neither woman has been apprehended or convicted.
A Long-Tenured Sheriff Leaning on Public Tips
Sheriff Tommy Jones, who was first appointed interim sheriff in December 2014 before winning election in 2016 and being re-elected in 2018 and 2022, brings more than 27 years of law enforcement experience to the post, according to background reported by WBIR. His office has made a habit of posting wanted notices to social media as a way of crowdsourcing tips from residents across the county's roughly 49,700 people, a population estimate reported by USAFacts that spans Sweetwater, the county's largest city, and the county seat of Madisonville.
That same tip-driven approach has produced results elsewhere in Monroe County recently. In February, deputies executed a raid in Tellico Plains after fielding community complaints through crime tip lines, a bust that Hoodline previously reported yielded drug and weapons seizures along with felony arrests. The sheriff's office has similarly turned to Facebook wanted notices in other recent cases, including alerts seeking a suspected probation violator and a man wanted for skipping a sex-offender registry check-in.
Broader Scrutiny of Monroe County Detention Operations
The warrant notice for Exline and Cardin comes as the sheriff's office continues to navigate fallout from a separate, unrelated matter involving its detention facility. Last September, a Monroe County grand jury indicted five former sheriff's office employees and two jail nurses following the February 2025 in-custody death of 74-year-old Elijah Lester Isbill at the Monroe County Justice Center, a case detailed in earlier Hoodline reporting. That litigation has continued into this year, with the Isbill family reaching a multimillion-dollar settlement while pursuing further legal action.
At the same time, the sheriff's office has been rolling out new programs at its detention facility, including a workforce development partnership announced in December with tech educator Orijin to provide vocational certifications for inmates. Both threads — enforcement actions like the current warrant search and institutional reforms inside the jail — reflect an agency operating under increased public attention while continuing its routine casework. As with any wanted notice, the charges against Exline and Cardin remain unproven allegations unless and until they are addressed in court.
