An East Ridge police officer checking on a vehicle at Springvale Park on Friday morning has led to the arrest of a man suspected of stealing a truck and a camper in 2016.

According to East Ridge Municipal Court records, Troy Lee Evatt, 43, of a West Wilson Street address in Rossville, Ga., has been charged with Theft over $10,000, Theft over $1,000, Evading Arrest, Aggravated Assault and Criminal Impersonation. He is being held in the Hamilton County Jail on a $30,000 bond. Evett is scheduled to appear in municipal court on March 26.

According to an affidavit of complaint, an officer spotted a Cadillac Escalade parked in Springvale Park at 10:45 a.m. on Friday. The officer approached the running vehicle and at first didn’t see anyone inside the Cadillac. He quickly noticed a man, later identified as Evett, asleep in the reclined driver’s seat. The report states that the officer tapped on the window of the vehicle several times and Evett finally awoke.

Troy Evett

Evatt told the officer that he left his ID at  “a shop.” The report states that Evett gave the officer the name of a man who the officer later determined had an active warrant out of Hamilton County. When the officer went back to the vehicle and ordered Evett out, Evett cranked up the Cadillac and tried to take off. According to the report, the officer grabbed the wheel  of the Cadillac and was dragged a short distance before releasing the wheel.

The officer pursued the Cadillac a short distance before abandoning the pursuit, the report states. The Cadillac was spotted by Chattanooga police on Calhoun Avenue in Chattanooga and Evett was taken into custody.

Court records show that Evett was wanted by Rossville police for the May 13, 2016 theft of a 2016 Ford F-250 truck. A confidential informant told Rossville police that Evett had stolen the truck and used it to pull a large camper that Evett had to the Grundy County area. 

According to the same records, on May 19, 2016 a woman had reported a 31-foot Keystone camper was stolen from Camping World on Ringgold Road. The camper was at the facility for repairs. Court records state that the camper was recovered on July 2, 2016 in Coffee County. 

Court documents reveal that the confidential informant was interviewed by an ERPD investigator on August 2, 2016. The informant told the investigator that he bought the Keystone camper from Evett. Evett had towed the camper with a Ford F-250 truck. 

_ 6100 block Marietta St.: On Saturday an East Ridge officer conducted a traffic stop of a Honda motorcycle at this location. According to an affidavit of complaint, the rider ran the stop sign at Marietta Street and Truman Avenue. Police identified the rider as Jason Randall Hilley, 43, of a Clara Lee Drive address in Rossville, Ga.. When Hilley made several attempts to reach inside his pants pocket, it prompted the officer to conduct a pat-down of Hilley for officer safety.

The report states that Hilley was detained after it was determined the plates on the bike didn’t return to the Honda and it was determined the bike was stolen. Hilley was taken into custody and upon searching him officers found 33 grams of heroin in four separate packages, a small amount of methamphetamine  and 1.5 grams of crack cocaine. 

According to the report, Rossville police could not identify the owner of the motorcycle. The bike, valued at $3,480, was towed.

Hilley was charged with Possession/Manufacture/Delivery of Methamphetamine, Possession of Schedule IV Drugs, Possession of Schedule I Drugs and Theft over $2,500. He is due to appear in East Ridge Municipal Court on March 19.