A quick-thinking Polk County Police officer who remembered seeing a stolen item during a traffic stop while at another scene listening to someone whose truck was stolen describe what was inside ended up jailing several suspects

Polk County Police netted several arrests on multiple felony charges, and found drugs during two searches along with stolen items after he was called out to talk to the owners of the stolen truck on Saturday morning.

Per the report, the owners of the truck on Pine Road in Rockmart called police when they noticed the truck was missing midday, but noted they believed it was stolen sometime around 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. due to their dogs barking because of the disturbance.

While the owners were describing the truck and what was inside, the reporting officer noted that he remembered during a traffic stop earlier in the day seeing a motorized bicycle that was in the back of a van that matched the description of what was taken.

During that incident, police took Christopher Todd Cason, 31, of 1580 Prospect Road, Aragon, into custody after they found a 9 mm handgun in the van driven by Thomas Spencer Pierce. They were pulled over after the van was reported to have no registration plate. Cason told police he had stashed the gun in the back when they were being pulled over. He was also taken into custody on other warrants not related to the traffic stop.

Having recalled that, police did note at the time they didn’t think anything of it because Pierce is known to buy, collect and sell items regularly in the area.

The owners also reported in the back of the truck was a stove, and medication was also inside the truck.

Police did note that the owners had left the truck unlocked and the keys inside, something that officers time and again ask local residents not to do in order to protect their property.

However, with the memory of the bike in his mind, the reporting officer called for help and began to piece together what happened, where the truck might be, and what happened next pulled a thread that ended with five different people in custody before everything was said and done.

Police went to the residence of Pierce, the driver of the van who was allowed to leave the traffic stop at the time and they looked around the property. They found the truck in Pierce’s backyard parked behind his house, without finding him home, but the front door open. They did not see a stove in the back.

Police went inside and cleared the house for any potential suspects or intruders. They found evidence of drugs within the house, the missing bike, and with the truck parked in the back it was enough for the reporting officer to determine that it was time to get a search warrant and detain anyone who returned to the house.

An officer was left to ensure that if Pierce arrived he was not allowed to leave the property and to detain him. The reporting officer went back to the Polk County Police Department to type a warrant, and to get it signed off by a judge before any further action was taken to confiscate items spotted while clearing the house. By then, Pierce and his girlfriend had returned to the area and were taken into custody without incident.

The reporting officer with warrant in tow went back to Pierce’s residence at 107 McDowell Road, and then others started to arrive as well.

Police at the time stopped two that were trying to flee the scene after seeing police in the driveway, but were nabbed on a traffic stop. Officers at the time let the driver of a blue Ford F-150 go named Herbert “Grady” Willis, but detained his passenger Tiffany Scoggins on multiple warrants.

Additionally, two more people arrived in another blue Ford F-150 reported to be Joshua Bollen and a second passenger.

“Bollen was asked to leave multiple times however he continued to shout at Officers and distract them from fulfilling their duties,” the report stated. “I (reporting officer) spoke with Bollen and informed him that he would need to leave the scene immediately and he left.”

Police weren’t done there. After the reporting officer got things calmed down, he read Miranda rights to Pierce and his girlfriend, and Pierce initially denied knowing the truck was on his property.

When separated from his girlfriend, police got a different story: that he knew the truck was stolen, that he allowed Cason arrested earlier in the day to hide it there, and the bike was allegedly part of a sale for cash and drugs.

He also told police about a room at the Polk Motel that was used by Cason, the bike had been there at one point, and Cason had admitted to him that he stole the truck.

The reporting officer heard this, went to the Polk Motel and reviewed footage, and found that Bollen – who had previously left the scene – along with Scoggins now in custody were helping Cason remove multiple items during trips back and forth out of the Polk Motel, all the way up until 4:30 in the afternoon when police noted the final trip out of the room.

Police placed Pierce under arrest, and Scoggins already under arrest was facing additional charges including methamphetamine possession after drugs were found in her purse.

Once the pair were in custody and police wrapped up their seizure of items, the truck and bike were returned back to the victims.

Following up on Sunday morning, police tracked down Willis and Bollen, who were also being charged in the incident.

Willis was found at home on June Kemp Road, per the report, and when they were allowed inside they found liquid methamphetamine in what was described as a “large jar,” glass pipes and a “large glass plate with residue of suspected methamphetamine on it.”

The reporting officer noted the liquid meth was orange in color, and then found another glass pipe (from the description likely a Hookah-style pipe) and two other people who were in the house and were asked to dress and come out.

Police did ask him about being involved in transporting stolen items for Tiffany Scoggins, and he denied her being involved. He did have the hotel room key on his coffee table, which police noted during their search.

He later told officers the pair had stored stolen items at his house, but none were found after he was in custody and police looked around the property more thoroughly. They ultimately found more drug paraphernalia around the residence.

The two additional people found within sleeping weren’t charged.

Bollen was arrested later on Sunday morning and booked into the Polk County Jail on multiple charges.

Altogether, here’s where those arrested landed on their charges:

Cason was charged with three counts of probation violation; possession of a firearm by convicted felon or first offender; giving false name, address, or birthdate to law enforcement officer; theft by receiving stolen property; tampering with evidence; and possession of tools for commission of a crime. His bond was denied.

Pierce was charged with felonies for party to a crime and theft by receiving stolen property.

Scoggins, 27, of 325 Clyde Drive, Cedartown, was charged with felonies for probation violation, possession of methamphetamine, party to a crime and possession of tools for commission of a crime. She remained in jail on a $10,000 bond.

Bollen, 33, of 58 Polk Road, Rockmart, was being held on a $10,000 bond on charges of felonies for theft by taking and party to a crime, and misdemeanors for tampering with evidence and obstruction of law enforcement officers.

Willis, 70, of 430 June Kemp Road, Aragon, remained in jail with a $10,000 bond on felony charges including four counts of possession of tools for commission of a crime, and a single charge each for party to a crime and possession of methamphetamine.

Police did not recover the stove and medication taken from the truck. They are also still seeking a black purse with women’s items in it and identification, and a Titan 440 paint sprayer, and 2 black money boxes containing methadone as well.

Those with information are asked to contact the PCPD.