A man accused of snooping through company work trucks ended up facing a much bigger list of charges after deputies connected him to a separate investigation involving a broken storage-building lock, missing property and a fire on an apartment porch.
The suspect allegedly denied going anywhere near the work trucks before deputies had even asked him about them.
And that was just the beginning.
According to the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, Brandon Blake Spencer was arrested following a complaint from employees of an excavation company working in the Proctorville area.
Workers Spot Man Inside Truck
Employees of Opell Excavating reported seeing a man wearing a red hoodie opening the door of a company work truck and searching through its passenger compartment.
One worker said he confronted the man and told him to leave.
Instead of immediately leaving the area, the man allegedly approached another company truck, looked through its windows and then walked away.
Deputies searched the surrounding area with assistance from the Proctorville Police Department.
When officers located Spencer, he reportedly began denying involvement in the incident before they questioned him about it.
A deputy instructed Spencer to remain with the police chief while he returned to speak with the workers.
But Spencer allegedly walked farther down the road and began smoking a cigarette.
The workers identified him as the man they had seen entering the truck.
Cigarette Ash Becomes Evidence
The excavation employees told deputies that none of them smoked and that smoking inside company vehicles was prohibited.
However, they discovered cigarette ash inside the truck.
The deputy examined the vehicle and found ash on the driver’s seat. Based on its location, he believed someone had been standing outside the truck and leaning over the seat.
The deputy photographed the evidence.
Spencer was arrested and charged with attempted theft and criminal trespass.
But the investigation didn’t end when he was taken to jail.
Another Complaint Leads to More Charges
A woman who had been in a relationship with Spencer contacted deputies about problems at their apartment.
She alleged that Spencer had prevented her from leaving the residence and had been behaving in a way that frightened her.
She also reported that Spencer had become convinced people were trying to harm him and that their landlord owed him money.
According to the woman, Spencer had forced his way into the landlord’s storage building and taken several items.
The deputy investigated and found what appeared to be a muddy boot print on the storage-building door, along with damage to the locking mechanism.
Inside the apartment, the woman showed deputies property she said had come from the storage building.
The items included a clear plastic container holding video game cases, a chrome wrench in a red case and two handheld radios resembling walkie-talkies.
The deputy photographed the items and the damage.
Fire on Apartment Porch
The woman also reported that Spencer had started a fire on their apartment porch.
She told deputies she had found him sitting outside watching the flames and had extinguished the fire herself.
When the deputy inspected the porch, he observed a pile of burned trash and photographed the area.
Investigators returned to the Lawrence County Jail to question Spencer about the additional allegations.
Spencer denied breaking into the storage building or taking the property.
As for the fire, he reportedly claimed it started accidentally when he flicked a cigarette butt.
Five Charges Documented
Following the additional investigation, deputies charged Spencer with arson, breaking and entering, and theft.
Those charges were added to the attempted theft and criminal trespass charges stemming from the work-truck complaint.
The deputy also investigated the woman’s domestic violence concerns. However, she said she did not feel threatened and did not wish to pursue domestic violence charges. None were filed at the time of the report.
Investigators were still attempting to contact the landlord for additional information about the storage building and missing property.
The sheriff’s report does not provide the outcome of Spencer’s criminal case.