FORT GAY MAN ARRESTED BY MARTIN COUNTY, KENTUCKY SHERIFF AFTER WOMAN’S SON AND SECURITY CAMERAS CATCH SUSPECT COMMITTING BURGLARY AT GARAGE OF RESIDENTIAL HOME
HOMEOWNER’S SON BLOCKED SUSPECT’S VEHICLE FROM LEAVING FROM THE SCENE OF THE CRIME
SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 – written by WADE QUEEN
The sheriff of Martin County, Kentucky arrested a Wayne County, West Virginia man on Friday morning September 27, on North Wolf Creek Road in the Lovely area, assisting in the thwarting of the man’s attempted burglary of a garage at a home residence.
Martin County Sheriff John Kirk arrested Tyler Hayes, 32, of Fort Gay, West Virginia; on a charge of:
*THEFT BY UNLAWFUL TAKING OR DISPOSITION ALL OTHERS $1,000 < $10,000.
The investigation began around 7:15 A.M., when Sheriff Kirk responded to a call from a woman convinced her garage was being looted. The residence at 3901 North Wolf Creek Road became the center of a rather tense showdown.
“She said she felt someone was breaking into her garage,” Sheriff Kirk recounted. “Her son was on his way to try and block them in until I could get there.”
The homeowner, who was identified in the arrest citation as Amber Spicer, earlier that morning at her workplace, had told Sheriff Kirk that a guest staying the night, her friend’s boyfriend, might have had a little more than sleep on his mind.
“She thought he’d been eyeing items in the garage the day before,”Sheriff Kirk stated.
Sure enough, after Amber Spicer had left for work, her security camera pinged just after 4 A.M., catching Tyler Hayes in the act. While Tyler Hayes’ vehicle blocked the camera’s view of the door, the camera captured Hayes loitering outside the garage, his car parked next to it. The camera also captured audio of Hayes shuffling items around inside the garage.
By the time Sheriff Kirk arrived on the scene, Amber Spicer’s son, Jacob Arbogast, had taken matters into his own hands, by blocking Tyler Hayes’ car in the driveway with his truck.
“He told [Tyler Hayes] to open his trunk, saying if it was empty, he’d let him go. But the son wasn’t letting him leave until the cops got there,” said Sheriff Kirk.
Sensing hesitation, and uncertain whether Tyler Hayes was armed, Sheriff Kirk drew his gun and told Tyler Hayes to exit the vehicle. Once Tyler Hayes popped the trunk it was game over. The trunk was loaded with various stolen tools, ranging from Dewalt to Snap-On.
All of the stolen tools belonged to the homeowner’s son, passed down from his late stepfather, Sheriff Kirk stated.
Tyler Hayes, when confronted with the evidence, reportedly confessed to the crime.
“He admitted to taking the tools,” said Sheriff Kirk, with him adding that Tyler Hayes confessed to smoking marijuana earlier that morning before deciding to make a little trip to the garage. “He said he was going to keep the tools for his personal use.”
The camera, it turns out, was a key hero in the burglary arrest .
“It’s good she had that camera that notified her,” Sheriff Kirk concluded.
Sheriff Kirk took Tyler Hayes into custody and had his vehicle towed for evidence.
Tyler Hayes was transported to and lodged in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville, in Johnson County. Tyler Bates has since been released from the jail after posting his bond.
