MITCHELL– A Mitchell man, Jeremy Chad Hall, 46, is facing a potential theft charge after allegedly pawning tools belonging to his employer.
According to a Probable Cause Affidavit filed by Lawrence County Police Officer Calvin Callahan on April 17, Hall is accused of selling an air compressor, air gun, and air hose entrusted to him for storage.
The affidavit states that on April 17, Lawrence County Dispatch received a call from a male, who reported that he had left his tools in Chad Hall’s garage at 1066 Rariden Hill in Mitchell and that Hall had subsequently sold them.
Officer Callahan responded to the residence and spoke with both the owner of the tools and Hall. The owner of the tools explained that Hall was his employee and that he had asked Hall if he could store some tools in his garage. Hall agreed, and the tools were placed in the garage three days prior, on Monday, April 14th. He reported that his yellow Bostitch air compressor, yellow Bostitch air gun, and a 100-foot orange air hose had been pawned. He stated that he had already retrieved other tools from Hall’s garage and that these were the only items unaccounted for.
When questioned by Officer Callahan, Hall admitted to pawning the tools at Tomcat’s Pawn. He initially claimed the receipt was in his girlfriend’s car. When asked if he could retrieve the tools, Hall stated he did not have the money to do so, and the owner of the tools indicated he wished to pursue theft charges.
During a subsequent conversation after being read his Miranda rights, Hall offered differing accounts. He claimed the air compressor had been broken and placed in his garage three weeks prior, alleging that the equipment owner had said he could keep it. However, Hall admitted he “shouldn’t have pawned” the air gun and hose, which he acknowledged were placed in his garage on Monday. When asked why he pawned the items, Hall stated he needed money to get his water turned back on and mentioned that the owner of the tools still owed him wages.
The owner of the tools completed a verification of stolen property form, listing the estimated values of the air compressor ($369), air gun ($299), and air hose ($40), totaling $708.
Officer Callahan then went to Tomcat’s Pawn in Bedford and obtained a receipt confirming that Hall pawned the air compressor, air gun, and orange air hose on April 16. A hold was placed on the items.
On April 23, the owner of the tools was able to retrieve them from Tomcat’s Pawn. As a result, Tomcat’s Pawn became a victim, having paid $135 for the items. A receipt documenting the return and the amount paid by the pawn shop was obtained.
Based on the investigation, Officer Callahan stated there is probable cause to believe that Jeremy Chad Hall committed theft and requested a review for potential charges. The information was forwarded to the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office, and a warrant was issued for Hall’s arrest. He was detained on Thursday, May 15.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the Probable Cause Affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
