Police, shop owner team up to recover stolen motorcycles; two arrested

Gonzo Speed Shop owner Colby Wilson stands next to a rare Italian-made Beta racing dirt bike, stolen from his store last week. With tips from local residents, and quick investigative efforts by police, Wilson was able to recover the bike and two other that were taken, along with other equipment.

A local business owner says tips from friends in the community — along with quick, decisive response from local law enforcement — led to the recovery of several stolen motorcycles and other items taken from his store last week, and the arrest of two of the three people allegedly involved in the theft.

Colby Wilson and his wife Kendra, owners of Gonzo Speed Shop on Main Street in Corbin, estimate that about $20,000 worth of merchandise was taken from their business after a break-in during the early morning hours last Thursday. Among the items taken were three motorcycles — a Yamaha YZ 25 dirt bike, a 2013 Kawasaki Ninja street motorcycle, and a rare and valuable Italian-made 2016 Beta dirt racing bike.

“We had posted that one on Facebook and I guess that’s where they saw it,” Colby Wilson said. “They took them all out of here and rode them to Woodbine.”

Arrested, so far, in connection with the thefts is 24-year-old Franklin Parks, of Corbin, and 23-year-old Harry Castle, of London.
Parks has been charged with receiving stolen property over $500, possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), giving an officer a false name or address and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Castle faces charges of receiving stolen property over $500, fleeing or evading police (on foot) and unrelated charges of failure to appear in court and non-payment of fines.

Corbin Police Lt. Rusty Hedrick, who is heading up the investigation into the thefts along with Patrolman Jeff Hill, said authorities are working to build a case against Castle and Parks for burglarizing Gonzo Speed Shop. He said the two claimed to have gotten the bikes from someone named “Frank” and were test-driving them before deciding whether or not to buy them.

“We don’t believe that,” Hedrick said. “We’ve not been able to prove directly yet that they did the burglary, but we are working on it.”

Police are looking for a third suspect, Terry “Turdy” Mullis, for his alleged involvement in the thefts. His nickname was written in permanent marker one some of the items taken.

“He was actually supposed to come in and give us a statement, but he never showed up,” Hedrick said. “We know he was with the other two because he was seen on one of the motorcycles. We have statements from people in Woodbine who saw him riding around.”

Wilson said tips from friends and others led him to Woodbine last Thursday afternoon on his own personal search for the stolen bikes and equipment. He was talking with the owner of a business there when he witnessed Parks ride by on the Beta.

“I chased him in my truck. He went into the creek on the bike and started trying to run away,” Wilson said.

Wilson said he caught Parks and detained him.

Police said the two got into a scuffle in the creek bed. Parks was later arrested at a home on Back Street.

Following more leads, Wilson said he saw one of the other suspects on Kawasaki Ninja, but could not catch him.

Police later recovered the motorcycle after one of the suspects called and told them where it could be found.

Castle was arrested when he apparently pulled the Yamaha dirt bike into the driveway of the Back Street home while Parks was being arrested. He was immediately arrested by police as well.

A computer that was stolen from the business was also recovered. Authorities say it had been sold to a third party and the hard drive was removed because the old one was password protected.

Wilson praised local police efforts, saying their timely response and aggressive investigation of the case was impressive.

“I really thought they Corbin Police Department did a fantastic job,” Wilson said. “When I called them, they came down immediately and started working on it. I want to thank them for that.”

Kendra Wilson said when the final motorcycle was returned, it was an emotional moment.

“When the officer came back here riding that YZ 25, I just started crying,” she said. “I am amazed we got so much of it back so quickly.”

“It’s nice to hear people say things like that,” Hedrick said. “Especially right now, in the current climate, it don’t seem like we get that many compliments so it’s good to hear. I think Mr. Wilson deserves a lot of credit, himself, though. The leads that he received really helped. He worked as hard as we did at the beginning to get this case started.”

Hedrick said all three suspects have prior criminal records.