Police watching a farm where some items recently had been stolen from vehicles arrested two Columbus teens early Saturday.
The arrests of Ricky L. Purvis, 18, and a 13-year-old youth occurred when the pair attempted to pump gasoline into a passenger car at a farm in the 11400 block of East County Road 900N in the Seymour area, according to a news release from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.
The pair, who were arrested by Jackson County Detective Tom Barker and county Officer Dustin Steward, face Level 6 felony charges of attempted theft.
They were arrested after Steward and Barker set up on opposite ends of the farm early Saturday morning.
The officers reported that they saw and heard a passenger car pass the driveway to the farm on County Road 900N, turn around and come back.
The driver then pulled into the driveway and shut off the vehicle’s lights. The motorist drove by Barker, who was hiding between grain bins, and Steward, who was hiding in the back of a trailer attached to a tractor. The driver then pulled up beside the pump and shut the vehicle off.
At that point, Steward turned on his emergency lights and arrested the pair.
Purvis was booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown, while the 13-year-old boy was taken to the juvenile detention center next door.
Purvis told police he was familiar with the property owner but did not have permission to get gasoline.
County Officer Mark Holt and Reserve Officer James Murphy assisted with the investigation and arrests.
The blue 1999 Hyundai car was towed by Howard’s Wrecker Service of Crothersville.
