A 23-year-old Monticello man who was simply looking for a lost box of ramen noodles outside a Kentucky car dealership last month is now facing four felony charges after police say he tried to break in and damaged two trucks on the lot. Joshua Cureton was arrested Wednesday, five days after employees at Don Franklin Monticello Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram discovered the damage, and was lodged in the Wayne County Detention Center.
The saga began around 1:30 a.m. on August 28, when officers were called to investigate suspicious activity at the dealership, located at 1777 East Highway 90, according to FOX 56 News. Per authorities, Cureton allegedly made several attempts to get into the locked building before Monticello Police K-9 Officer Bertram made contact with him around 3:30 a.m. — nearly two hours after the initial call, per the K-9 unit's search. When officers caught up with him, Cureton reportedly told them he had lost a box of ramen noodles.
Responding officers actually found the lost noodles and gave them back to him, according to the outlet's report. Dealership employees then made Cureton leave the property, and it seemed like the strange encounter was over.
A Late-Night Search Takes a Turn
The Monticello Police Department, recounting the incident in a Facebook post, put it bluntly: “At this point, you might think the story would end with everyone going home and enjoying their noodles.” It didn't. Dealership staff members later found two trucks that appeared to have been damaged, per officers, and investigators say Cureton had allegedly returned to the property.
That discovery set off a five-day investigation before Monticello Police Major Smith obtained an arrest warrant for Cureton on September 2, according to the same report. The warrant was executed by K-9 Officer Bertram and Officer Thomas, and Cureton was arrested on charges tied to the incident at the dealership, per the arrest report.
Felony Charges Carry Years of Prison Exposure
The arrest warrant formally charged Cureton with Third-Degree Burglary, First-Degree Criminal Mischief, Third-Degree Criminal Trespassing, and Attempted Theft by Unlawful Taking of an automobile valued between $10,000 and $1 million. Under Kentucky law, Third-Degree Burglary — knowingly entering or remaining unlawfully in a building with intent to commit a crime — is a Class D felony punishable by one to five years in prison, according to Justia Law.
First-Degree Criminal Mischief, meanwhile, applies when property damage reaches $1,000 or more and is also treated as a Class D felony carrying up to five years behind bars. The most serious charge Cureton faces is the attempted theft count: Kentucky classifies theft of property valued between $10,000 and $1,000,000 as a Class C felony, which carries a penalty of five to ten years imprisonment. According to the Legislative Research Commission, Kentucky Class C felonies carry maximum terms of five to 10 years, and theft of property valued from $10,000 to $1,000,000 is an example of a Class C felony. Cureton's bond was set at $5,000 cash or a property value of $10,000, per the arrest report cited by FOX 56 News.
Small Town, Small Force
The break-in attempt and vehicle damage happened in Monticello, the Wayne County seat with an estimated population of just 5,726 residents as of 2024, according to Wikipedia's profile of the city, which is nicknamed the “Houseboat Manufacturing Capital of the World” for its ties to marine manufacturing near Lake Cumberland. The Monticello Police Department that handled the case employs just 10 sworn officers, per Discover Policing, a small force typical of the municipal departments that patrol the area before handing detainees off to county facilities like the Wayne County Detention Center. The county's own sheriff's office reported a workforce of 14 sworn officers and 2 civilian employees serving a countywide population of 13,921 in 2025, according to Police Census.
The K-9 units that identified Cureton on August 28 played a central role in both the initial contact and the eventual case against him. Police say the investigation into the break-in and the damaged trucks remains ongoing, and it is not yet clear how Cureton's defense will address the felony counts against him.
