Nothing hides like a Deere

Three individuals – later identified as Jody Deere, Abigail Masters and Dallas Robinson – were arrested for various theft charges after an investigation led authorities to their door. The investigation began on August 17, 2020 when the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the McBride area in reference to a home burglary.

Marshall County Deputy Latosha Broadhead arrived at the residence that was hidden in a thick, wooded area. The reporting party notified Broadhead that several items were stolen from their residence. Several side-by-sides vehicles, alcohol, hunting equipment, power tools, fishing equipment, game cameras, generators, archery equipment, and firearms; basically, anything that was not tied down and had value.

Broadhead contacted Marshall County Sheriff Danny Cryer to advise him of the theft and notify him that she received a tip on a side-by-side that happened to be stuck on the beach at the Roads End boat ramp.

Cryer and Reserve Deputy Jacob Stafford headed over to the boat ramp to investigate the tip. Cryer and Stafford hit the jackpot when they went to the boat dock. The officers located a red Kioti side-by-side stuck in the mud, exactly where Broadhead was told it would be.

Cryer could not tell if the vehicle was occupied or not, because of the distance it was from the dock. The officers trudged through the woods to approach the vehicle. It may have been unoccupied, however, it was not empty, by any means. Cryer said the vehicle was “completely covered in stolen property from Deputy Broadhead’s case.”

While Cryer was returning the stolen property to the rightful owner, he happened upon “piles of stolen property” hidden along the trails leading to the targeted home. Broadhead located the stolen golf cart at a residence in the McBride area due to a tip from a firefighter. Broadhead was notified that the golf cart was stolen from another residence in the McBride area, and that the person who gave them the golf cart had also stolen a 4-wheeler and crashed it in the woods near the original cove.

Broadhead began gathering information about the alleged thieves, and Cryer, along with Stafford, re-entered the woods in an attempt to locate the wrecked 4-wheeler. The officers were in luck. They found the 4-wheeler and returned it to the reporting party.

Through the investigation, two names came up; Deere and Masters. Deputies went to the suspects’ residence in the McBride area to question them about some of the stolen equip ment. Unfortunately, nobody was home, but deputies found evidence in the yard to obtain a search warrant.

Once the warrant was executed, deputies found multiple stolen items on the property. Again, officers had no luck contacting the suspects. Three days later, officers would have a small break in the investigation. On August 20, Deputy Kasey Cox was dispatched to a wooded area near the burglarized home in response to several people fighting.

When Cox arrived on scene, he happened upon Robinson, a 33-year-old male from Ardmore, and found him to be in possession of several of the stolen items. When Cox questioned him on how he found the house – due to it being so well hidden in the woods – Robinson informed Cox that Deere and Masters were friends of his and told him about a great fishing pond nearby.

For two and a half weeks, officers had no luck contacting Deere or Masters. Their luck would change on September 3 when Cryer received a phone call from a resident of the McBride area. The caller inquired if Cryer was still actively searching for the two suspects.

Once Cryer confirmed that he was still searching for the pair, the anonymous tipster told Cryer they were both in front of their residence in the middle of a dispute. Even though deputies scrambled to head over to the residence, nobody was outside when officers pulled up.

One deputy could hear people arguing inside of the residence, however, once officers knocked, not a sound could be heard in the residence. Deputy Anna Gerard had the forward thinking to check the back side of the trailer. That idea seemed to pay off, because when she went to walk to the back, apparently, Deere, a 50-year-old male from Kingston, thought it was safe to try to flee from the front.

Gerard alleged that she caught Deere attempting to crawl behind some pallets to escape. Gerard approached the suspect and ordered him to stand up. Gerard then began questioning Deere who he was arguing with when she first arrived.

The suspect denied anybody else being in the residence. Cryer arrived on scene, and asked Deere the same question, attempting to give him a chance to tell the truth. According to the police report, Deere replied “no one,” once again.

Cryer then explained to Deere that Masters had an active felony warrant, and if he lied to law enforcement in attempts to hide her, he could face more charges. Once Cryer explained that, Deere allegedly changed his story a few times.

First, he admitted it was Masters in the residence, then he said she was hiding at a neighbor’s house. Apparently, he was not done changing his story, because he changed it two more times; he said she was in the woods, then he went back to saying she was never there.

Cryer gave Deere multiple chances to tell the truth, reminding him that if they find her in the residence, he could face more charges. After debating for a few moments, Cryer entered the residence and found Masters hiding under the bed in a storage area. The police report stated that Deere tried to claim Cryer and his deputies put Masters in his trailer.

Allegedly, Masters admitted being in the burglarized residence, but denied taking any items; saying she never walked into the house. Deere’s interview was cut short due to his request for an attorney.

Deere is facing charges for Second-Degree Burglary, Harboring a Fugitive, Concealing Stolen Property and Obstructing an Officer. An online search found a prior conviction for DUI in an online search. It also shows Deere facing other charges; three charges for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, Obstructing an Officer, and Altering/Forging Written Instruments.

Masters, a 40-year-old female from Dell City, was charged with Second-Degree Burglary, and Concealing Stolen Property. An online search shows Masters is also facing charges for DUI, Possession of CDS, and DUS.

Robinson pled guilty to Receiving/Possession of Stolen Property. An online search shows Robinson’s priors are as follows: Grand Larceny, Second-Degree Robbery, Larceny of Merchandise, Public Intoxication, Escape from Lawful Detention, Possession of CDS, Uttering Counterfeit Money, Obtaining Cash/Merchandise by Bogus Check/False Pretenses, Attempting to Utter Counterfeit Money, and Petit Larceny.

He is also facing charges for Larceny of Merchandise from a Retailer, and Assault and Battery.