Theft warrant issued after police recover stolen air tools from pawn shops

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a rural Springville man on theft-related charges.

William Dwight Harper is charged in Greene Circuit Court with burglary, a class C felony, and theft, a class D felony.

The arrest warrant was issued Wednesday.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case by Greene County Sheriff's Department Deputy James O'Malley on Tuesday, Harper is alleged to have kicked in the garage door of Robert A. Reed's residence, on Slick Rock Road in rural Bloomfield, and stole a variety of air-operated tools on Sept. 15.

Reed told police he left his residence at about 7:15 a.m. and returned home about 3:15 p.m. He didn't discover the theft until about 6:30 p.m.

Reed also informed police that Harper was a former employee of his who had visited the garage and talked with him two days earlier.

"Reed said Harper is a mechanic by trade and had been fired from his employment for theft," Deputy O'Malley wrote in the affidavit.

Among the alleged stolen tools were: a Matco 3/8 inch grinder, Matco 3/8 inch air ratchet, Matco air hammer, Matco air saw, Snap-On die grinder, Blue Point 1/2 inch Air Impact and a Mac angle grinder.

GCSD Detective Chris McDonald assisted O'Malley in the case and contacted all of the pawn shops in the area to see if the stolen tools could be located.

McDonald was able to locate the missing tools at Ace Pawn Shop and Tom Cats Pawn Shop in Bloomington -- based on serial numbers provided by Reed and receipts obtained from the two businesses -- showing they purchased air tools from Harper.

On Sept. 29, Harper was interviewed by GCSD detectives George Dallaire and McDonald and he admitted to the theft of the tools from the Reed garage.

"Harper stated that he took the tools because Reed owed him some money," O'Malley wrote in the affidavit.