HELTONVILLE – A Heltonville man is facing a slew of felony charges after information regarding a stolen tractor led Lawrence County Police to his residence, where they allegedly uncovered a cache of stolen vehicles, a firearm, and methamphetamine.
Phillip Andrew Tolliver, 49, was arrested on Tuesday, May 20, after a “knock-and-talk” at his home escalated into a full search and the discovery of numerous illicit items.
According to an affidavit for probable cause filed by Detective M. Williams of the Lawrence County Police Department, authorities received a tip on Tuesday that a 2002 Kubota M9000 tractor with a rotary cutter, reported stolen from the 200 block of Hidden Falls Camp Road in Bedford, was located at Tolliver’s residence. The information also suggested that Tolliver had received the tractor from a 20-year-old male.
Upon arrival at Tolliver’s property, Sheriff G. Day immediately spotted a tractor matching the description of the stolen Kubota. When confronted, Tolliver initially claimed an unnamed male had dropped off the tractor, and he was unaware of its origins, though he later admitted to a verbal deal with the male for its sale. He also stated the male had brought him a STIHL chainsaw.
After being read his Miranda warnings and voluntarily consenting to a search of vehicles and items on the property for serial and vehicle identification numbers, Tolliver informed officers he had a .357 revolver inside his residence. A review of Facebook messages on Tolliver’s phone, to which he also consented, reportedly showed a message from the male who gave him the tractor on May 17, at approximately 2:30 a.m., stating, “Yo hide that tractor good.”
During the initial consent search, officers discovered two additional vehicles – a red Dodge Challenger and a black Chevrolet Camaro – with vehicle identification numbers that returned as stolen when checked through IDACS.
Detective A. Tedrow subsequently obtained a search warrant for the entire premises, which was executed at approximately 11:00 p.m.
The search yielded a significant amount of stolen property, including:
- The stolen 2002 Kubota M9000 tractor (valued at $35,000) and its Woods BW12 Rotary Cutter attachment (valued at $20,000) from Bedford.
- A stolen STIHL MS 311 Chainsaw.
- A stolen 2010 Chevrolet Camaro from Monroe County.
- A stolen 2023 Dodge Challenger from Marion County.
- A stolen Ruger .357 Revolver from Owen County.
In a dresser in the bedroom of the residence, officers also located approximately 15 grams of a white crystal substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine, along with bank cards and an Indiana Identification Card belonging to Tolliver, and the stolen Ruger revolver.
Tolliver was arrested without incident and transported to the Lawrence County Security Center.
He faces numerous charges, including:
- Possession of methamphetamine (>10g less than 28g with a Firearm) – Level 3 Felony
- Theft of a firearm – Level 5 Felony
- Theft (>$50,000) – Level 5 Felony
- Motor vehicle theft (two counts) – Level 5 Felony
- Theft with prior conviction – Level 5 Felony
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.
