Man arrested for stealing truck from Corbin Recreation Department

James Carnes

A Corbin man was arrested last Thursday for allegedly stealing a truck that belonged to the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation.

Twenty-six-year-old James Carnes was charged with theft of a vehicle for taking the work truck from the parking lot of the Princess Vermillion McBurney Recreation Center on Barbourville Street.  The charge is a felony offense. Police say Carnes got out of a red Buick Lesabre, walked over to the truck, a 1998 Ford F-150, got in a drove off in broad daylight.

Through surveillance video, police were able to determine that the Lesabre was registered to one of Carnes’ family members and that it was, in fact, Carnes that had taken the vehicle.

Police went to 1911 Early Street, where Carnes is known to stay, and found him emptying the truck’s toolboxes into a wheelbarrow. He was immediately placed under arrest. The truck was recovered.

“He was right there with the truck emptying the toolboxes,” Jones said. “He was caught in the act.”

Carnes told authorities that he stole the truck in order to purchase drugs one last time before he had to start court-appointed rehabilitation at 1:00 p.m. the next day.

He was lodged in the Whitley County Detention Center.

Carnes pleaded not guilty to the charge during an arraignment hearing Tuesday Monday in Whitley District Court in Corbin. He appeared before District Judge Cathy Prewitt. During the hearing, he asked to be represented by a public defender.

A preliminary hearing in his case is set for April 7 at 9:00 a.m. in Whitley District Court in Williamsburg.

Carnes remains in jail in lieu of a $25,000 cash bond.

Corbin Police Det. Rusty Hedrick is continuing an investigation into the case.

Officers Major Rob Jones, Capt. Coy Wilson, Det. Bill Rose, Lt. James Miller and Ptl. Arron Peace assisted in the investigation.