A chance occurrence led to the arrest of a man late this afternoon on charges related to the theft of two motor vehicles and a boat and trailer from Baxter County.   

     This afternoon, a man who lives in Baxter County was driving along the highway in Izard County when he came up behind a truck that was pulling a trailer with a car on it.  After several minutes, this man realized that the car on the trailer, a 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang that was being restored and valued at $38,000, was his car, which was supposed to be at a garage in Baxter County.  The owner placed a call to the Izard County Sheriff's Office in Melbourne for assistance.  The owner subsequently followed the truck and trailer to a location in Izard County where the driver stopped.  The owner confronted the driver of the truck about the car on the trailer and waited until the arrival of Izard County Sheriff's Deputies. 

     Once deputies arrived, the driver of the truck was identified as 58 year old DANNY AUBREY STURGIS with a Fayetteville address.  DANNY STURGIS originally told deputies that he had bought the vehicle from an unnamed person.  Upon further questioning, STURGIS admitted to having stolen the vehicle from a garage on Highway 201 North in Baxter County, as well has having previously stolen from the same location a 1969 Plymouth Satellite that was undergoing restoration and valued at $20,000, and the Celebrity boat and trailer valued at $10,000.  Deputies later found the Plymouth Satellite at the location where STURGIS had stopped, and the boat and trailer were found at another location in Izard County after further investigation.

    DANNY AUBREY STURGIS was later turned over into the custody of Baxter County Sheriff's Deputies and was transported to the Baxter County Detention Center where he was booked on charges of:

Theft of Property (1 count) - Class B Felony
Theft of Property (2 counts) - Class C Felonies
Breaking or Entering (3 counts) - Class D Felonies

     DANNY STURGIS is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond, and he will appear later this month in Circuit Court.  STURGIS was already out on bail awaiting trial on previous felony Theft by Receiving charges.

/s/ John F. Montgomery,
Baxter County Sheriff