A theft investigation involving multiple visits to the same property led to the arrest of a Ruston man on felony charges.
David Blackwelder, 33, of Ruston, was arrested July 19 by Lincoln Parish deputies.
According to an arrest affidavit, deputies responded to a Bethany Lane address regarding a theft complaint. Deputies had already responded to the property earlier that day for items reported stolen, as well as on July 16.
The affidavit states the property owner placed a trail camera on the land after deputies left earlier in the day. He received a notification and observed a red SUV hauling a small trailer with a green four-wheeler on the property.
Deputies had separately made contact with Blackwelder at the Sheriff’s Office, where he was found driving a red SUV with a small trailer matching the one seen in the trail cam video, though without the four-wheeler. The victim had originally reported a four-wheeler stolen from the property on July 16.
According to the affidavit, the victim said he was contacted by someone on Facebook who had seen a post listing the stolen property for sale. That person provided a license plate number and identified the driver as Blackwelder.
While deputies were on scene, Blackwelder arrived driving the same vehicle seen in the video, with a matching license plate. He had a yellow four-wheeler loaded on the trailer, which had also been reported stolen on July 16 — indicating he had entered the property on at least three separate occasions.
Blackwelder was detained and advised of his Miranda rights, which he acknowledged understanding. When questioned about the items, he said he was told to collect them as payment for work he had done for someone he could not name. Using a list of items provided by the victim, Blackwelder admitted to taking everything on the list except a chainsaw, including both four-wheelers, a large water pump, multiple tables and chairs, a charcoal grill, a wooden kitchen island with a marble countertop, and decorative signs. He told deputies he could show them where the property was located, at an abandoned house off Tech Farm Road. The victim estimated the total value of the stolen property at $9,000.
Deputies transported Blackwelder to the Lincoln Parish Detention Center, where they located the property at the address he provided. The wooden kitchen island was visible in plain view on the exterior of the residence and appeared damaged, with pieces of wood broken or missing and the marble countertop missing.
Blackwelder was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center on three counts of criminal trespassing, felony theft, and simple criminal damage to property.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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