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Last updated on Monday, May 4, 2015
(HARRISON CO.) - Indiana Conservation Officers and the Harrison County Police Department have charged a Depauw man after recovering stolen property, including a state trooper’s police badge.
18-year-old Dakota Blocker of Depauw was arrested just after 3 a.m. Sunday and charged with theft and credit card fraud.
Around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, an Indiana Conservation Officer was on patrol in the Harrison-Crawford State Forest when he was flagged down by a victim of a theft from a parked vehicle. The victim's backpack had been stolen, and he had tracked the suspect down and confronted him, gathering a description and license plate number.
After running the license plate, which returned to Blocker, the conservation officer went to his residence to investigate
While searching for Blocker, the conservation officer received a report of another theft at the state forest, involving an off-duty Indiana State Police trooper's personal vehicle.
Items missing included a state police badge, wallet, and credit card.
Indiana Conservation Officers and another state police trooper quickly learned that the credit card had recently been used to purchase fuel at a gas station in Corydon.
After further investigation, the credit card was recovered from the gas station's garbage can. Before signing off duty late Sunday night, the conservation officer requested that the Harrison County Dispatch staff notify him if any officers happened to encounter Blocker.
At approximately 2:45 a.m., a Harrison County Police Officer stopped Blocker in Palmyra for a traffic violation, and was ready to release him when Dispatch notified the conservation officer. The conservation officer requested that the HCPD officer attempt to locate the stolen items.
Shortly afterward, the state police badge, some cash, and a stolen fishing tackle box were recovered. Blocker was arrested and subsequently confessed to the thefts during an interview.
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