Clearfield couple caught cutting catalytic converter in Dexter

0
7221
Ronald Allen Gilbert, 35, of Clearfield, left, was arrested Friday on charges of third-degree theft and third-degree criminal mischief; Jessica Marie Shadley, 33, of Clearfield was arrested Friday on charges of third-degree theft, third-degree criminal mischief and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A Clearfield man and woman were arrested early Friday at the Dexter Park and Ride after a Dallas County Deputy Sheriff found them allegedly removing a catalytic converter from a vehicle.

Ronald Allen Gilbert, 35, of 404 Broadway St., Clearfield, was charged with third-degree theft and third-degree criminal mischief.

Jessica Marie Shadley, 33, of 404 Broadway St., Clearfield, was charged with third-degree theft, third-degree criminal mischief and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The incident began about 1:15 a.m. Friday at the Dexter Park and Ride in the 14000 block of White Pole Road in Dexter, where a Dallas County Deputy Sheriff noticed “a car that was parked very close to a blue van that had been parked unattended at the Dexter Park and Ride for the last few weeks,” according to court records.

The deputy also “observed a male outside the vehicle, and it appeared the van was being worked on.”

The deputy made contact with the male, who was Gilbert, and the deputy “asked if the van was his as it appeared he was working on it,” and Gilbert replied that “it was not, and he didn’t have anything to do with it,” according to court records.

Gilbert told the deputy that “he was just driving to Des Moines and got tired” and so parked his 2002 Hyundai Sante Fe next to the van, according to court records. He “later stated he heard the van in question was abandoned there.”

The deputy observed that Gilbert “was covered in gravel and grease” and that “the van was now on a jack and had never been before,” according to court records. Other indications, including “a grinder, saw and drill” in the front seat of the Sante Fe, led the deputy to conclude that “the van was having its exhaust system and catalytic converter cut off.”

Shadley, sitting in the driver’s seat of the Sante Fe, told the deputy that Gilbert “told her about the van” as they traveled “on their way to Dexter,” according to court records. She said she “believed he was cutting the exhaust system off to fix their personal car’s exhaust.”

A probable-cause search of the Sante Fe allegedly disclosed “a methamphetamine pipe” in Shadley’s purse. She said that “she had brought the pipe from home,” according to court records.

Gilbert is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $4,000 cash-only bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Feb. 1 in Dallas County District Court.

Shadley is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $4,000 cash-only bond. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Feb. 1 in Dallas County District Court.

Gilbert was convicted of fifth-degree criminal mischief in 2003 in Union County District Court. He was convicted of third-degree criminal mischief in 2005 in Ringgold County District Court.

*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is innocent until and unless proven guilty.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.