MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An investigation into a stolen ATV and trailer in Kentucky led to a theft ring and big bust in Olive Branch, Mississippi.
The Graves County, Kentucky, Sheriff’s Office said Monday morning about 9:00 a.m., a resident reported a 2021 Polaris General side-by-side stolen from their property overnight. Investigators reviewed surveillance video and said it showed two people pushing the ATV out of the yard and into a field. They said the suspects then returned and pulled the victim’s 18-foot utility trailer out to the road and hooked it to the suspects’ pickup truck. They then loaded up the ATV on the trailer and took off.
Investigators said one of the stolen pieces of equipment had a GPS tracker, and that led then to Olive Branch, Mississippi, about three hours south of Mayfield, where the ATV had been stolen.
Graves County investigators and Olive Branch police went to the property in the 9500 block of Highway 178 Monday afternoon about 3:30 p.m. with a search warrant. They found a lot of separate businesses consisting of auto repair and body shops. Outside, they said they found the stolen trailer from Kentucky.
Inside, investigators said they found about nine large ATVs, each valued at more than $20,000, including the one stolen from Kentucky. They found all of the ATVs had been stolen from Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Investigators said two vehicles stolen out of Memphis were also recovered.
The Graves County Sheriff’s Office said about 20 to 25 people were detained. Olive Branch Police said 37-year-old Tremaine Foster of Southaven, Mississippi, was arrested and charged with nine counts of receiving stolen property. His bond is set at $225,000.
The Graves County Sheriff’s Office said, “this to be a large theft ring being operated in at least four states and the fencing of this stolen property in Olive Branch Mississippi.”
The investigation is ongoing.
