Two local men were arrested on theft charges on Thursday after a person in the community saw them leaving a house they had reportedly burglarized.
Ricky Dale Guschke, 56, 1444 Franklin 60, Russellville; and Shane Croslin, 25, same address, were both arrested for third-degree burglary and third-degree theft of property, Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said.
According to Oliver, the sheriff’s office received a call on Thursday morning from a person who had spotted Guschke and Croslin leaving a residence on Franklin 60.
Oliver said the person followed the two in order to get an accurate description of the vehicle to relay to law enforcement.
“After we had the vehicle description, deputies began looking for the two suspects and were able to make a traffic stop on Cave Hollow Road in Russellville,” Oliver said.
Investigators said the hot water heater that was reportedly taken from the Franklin 60 residence was in the back of the truck the two were driving.
Oliver said the house was apparently a rental house that wasn’t being used at the time, so no one had been home when Guschke and Croslin were reportedly there.
“We’ve had several other burglaries in that area during the last few days and we’re working right now to see if these two suspects can be linked to those burglaries as well,” Oliver said.
He said Guschke and Croslin are also suspects in a few burglaries that occurred in Lauderdale County.
“We’ve been told they have been going to houses and knocking on the door to see if anyone is home, and if someone answers the door, they tell them they’re in the tree trimming business and ask them if they need any trees trimmed,” Oliver said.
“We think this is what they’ve been doing to case an area and see which houses they can get into to burglarize, so we just want the community to be aware of these kinds of tactics and keep a watch out for one another.
“We appreciate the man who saw these two suspects leaving the home on Highway 60 and for reporting it to us. It just goes to show that the community can be a big help if they’ll watch out for their friends and neighbors and report any suspicious activity.”
Both Guschke and Croslin have been released from custody on property bonds.