Three arrested for breaking into Corbin Papa John’s, stealing cash

Three area men were arrested for a burglary and theft that occurred at Papa John’s Pizza in Corbin in the early morning hours Monday.
Darrell R. Hall, 38, of Gray; James R. Sellards, 30, of Lily and Ronnie E. Johnson, II, 19, of Williamsburg were all charged with third-degree burglary and felony theft in connection with the break-in.
According to police, the three men entered Papa John’s between 2:30 and 3:00 a.m. and stole over $300 from cash registers and a safe at the store.
Corbin Police Capt. Tim Helton, who investigated the case, said a property manager for Tri-County Square Shopping Center reported to police at about 6:00 a.m. that the front door window of the store had been broken out. Police claim a brick was thrown through the door to conceal the real point and method of entry, but would not reveal how the three men got inside.
With the help of Knox County Constable Steelie Scalf, Helton brought Hall and Sellards to the police department for questioning. Johnson, who along with Hall is an employee of the store, was arrested a short time later while working at Papa John’s.
“I got a lead and investigated the lead and was able to tie them into it,” Helton said. “I interviewed all three of the suspects and that helped lead to the recovery of some of the money.”
Helton said the three men are friends, but would not say if they admitted to the crime. He did reveal that they cooperated in recovering a portion of the money which was discovered under a cliffline about 400 yards into a woods behind Turner’s Apartments on London Hwy. in Lily.
Papa John’s keeps little money on-site at any one time, a fact that Helton says prevented the loss from being much larger.
“They just don’t keep large amounts of money of the premises. They are smart.”
All three were lodged in the Knox County Booking Facility.