LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Police said a New Albany police cruiser that was stolen from an officer's home early Monday morning — along with police-issued weapons and equipment — was recovered.
"Everything’s safe, the car’s been recovered, the weapons have been recovered, and the suspect is in jail," said Harrison County Sheriff Nick Smith.
Aaron Higgins, 27, was arrested in connection with stealing with the police cruiser, according to Smith.
New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey said the officer was preparing to come to work at 4:30 a.m. Monday when he noticed that the police cruiser was missing from his home on Fairview Church Road in Harrison County.
The police cruiser was found in the 9500 block of Baylor Road in Milltown, according to Smith, while Higgins was arrested in the 7000 block of Hardinsburg Road in Marengo.
Aaron Higgins
It's still unknown how Higgins was able to steal the police cruiser.
"The SWAT team made contact with no incident. Everyone is safe, we're very happy to say that. No one got hurt in this exchange. We did locate numerous firearms taken from the cruiser and it's – everything's still fluid and being processed at this time," said Smith.
Baylor Road
The vehicle is a fully marked white 2021 Dodge Charger with Indiana police plate number 23271, according to Bailey.
Bailey also said the vehicle contained an AR-15 rifle, a .308 caliber rifle, a tactical vest, an unknown amount of ammunition and miscellaneous other equipment.
Smith says the cruiser was found off Baylor Road in Milltown. He says Higgins was found at a separate location. We went there as well. It’s about an 8 minute drive from where the cruiser was found. @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/0DFzfeenEY
— Darby Beane (@DarbyBeane) May 9, 2022
Those weapons were recovered from the vehicle Monday afternoon, according to Smith. He gave a big thanks to other agencies who helped out, including Indiana Conservation Officer Dennis Talley, who Smith said contacted the Harrison County Sheriff's Office to provide information on the possible location of the vehicle and possible location of the suspect.
The theft is being investigated by the Harrison County Sheriff's Office.
New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey released the following statement following the arrest:
”On behalf of the New Albany Police Department I appreciate the hard work of officers from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, Floyd County Sheriff’s Office and Indiana Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers in promptly recovering our vehicle and stolen property. We will review our internal controls and procedures to ensure the likelihood of this reoccurring is minimized. Additionally, a thorough internal investigation into the circumstances that led to this occurrence is underway. Public Safety and Public Trust are of the utmost concern to our agency.”
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Harrison County Sheriff's Office at 812-738-2195 or the New Albany Police Department at 812-944-6411.
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