SULLIVAN, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Even though the holiday season is over, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office is still helping bring holiday joy. Today the sheriff’s office said, they’ve helped return a stolen Christmas gift to its rightful owner.
According to a Facebook post from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, a truck that had recently been stolen from Shelburn was found wrecked on the east side of Indianapolis, near Beech Grove, on January 4. However, the office said the truck was still missing an item that the victim said they had just received for Christmas.
The gift missing from the vehicle was a custom-built dog box (A metal dog cage made to go in the bed of a truck). Then on January 14, the office received a tip about the stolen dog box being placed for sale on an online marketplace.
Detectives Collin Berg and Sergeant Justin Copeland went undercover and set up a meeting with the individual, identified as Russell Goodman Jr., who had allegedly placed the dog box for sale online. The meeting took place just miles from where the wrecked truck was discovered.
According to the sheriff’s office, Goodman Jr. allegedly showed up to the meeting with the stolen dog box strapped to the back of his vehicle. When uniformed deputies arrived, Goodman Jr. allegedly fled from police and led them on a short pursuit, until he ran into a residence.
While in the residence, deputies said they eventually convinced Goodman Jr. to surrender. He was then taken into custody for theft and transported back to Sullivan County.
The sheriff’s department then returned the dog box to the rightful owner, giving them back the Christmas gift that was taken from them just days after Christmas.
