Motors disappear
By RICK HARRIS
Blytheville Courier News
Blytheville Police are investigating the reports of a boat motor, seed motor, and golf equipment -- thefts that have occurred within the last three days, according to reports.
Tuesday at 2:25 p.m., police were called to the 5300 block of Palm Circle, where Robert Howard reported the theft of his boat motor. Howard told officers that someone tried to steal the motor earlier in the week but was unsuccessful. The boat motor is described as a 15 HP Evinrude Model No. E15RCRM, valued at $800.
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Monday at 5 p.m., police were called to the 2700 block of West State Highway 18 for a report of theft.
Michael White told police that someone had stolen a motor off of a grain cart. White advised that the motor was last seen on the grain cart on April 24, 2009. The motor is described as a Subaru 9HP Seed Motor valued at $700.
Odd activities result in arrest
Saturday at 11 p.m., police were called to the corner of Debra Lane and Dogwood Road for a report that a car was parked in the street with the headlights on and nobody around it.
Officers talked with Camie Cherry, who stated that she noticed the car sitting where it was in the street and after several minutes, she drove down to the vehicle and found no one around the car, so she called police.
While Cherry was waiting on the police to arrive, she noticed a white male and a small white female crouched down behind the backyard fence of the home at 3300 Debra Lane. The male was carrying what appeared to be a set of golf clubs as he walked down the fence line before he disappeared in a cove. When the male appeared from the cove, the golf clubs were not with him.
Cherry told the man that she had called the police and that the home there was vacant and asked what he was doing there. The male said he was at the house for a kids party, that he had been dropped off by friends of his daughter but didn't know who they were. Officers then arrived and identified the white male as Travis Dixon, 34, of Malvern.
The owner of the house, Jim Cole, advised that Russell Osipuk was living in the home and that he would notify him and have him come to the home.
The small white female was identified as Dixon's daughter and her mother was called to come pick her up at the scene.
Dixon's ex-wife, Jennifer Blagg, arrived to pick up her daughter Haley, and gave police permission to speak with Haley about what was going on. Haley stated that her dad, Travis, banged open the front door of the home and they went inside. While inside, she told officers that her dad took some golf clubs, saying that he was going to a golfing party. She also stated that they then left out the back door of the home and jumped the fence to get out of the backyard.
Travis Dixon was then taken into custody and charged with residential burglary. Russell Osipuk arrived and identified the golf clubs and some tennis racquets as belonging to him.
Dixon was taken to the Mississippi County jail where he was charged with residential burglary, theft of property, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
rharris@blythevillecourier.com