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Two men arrested for theft
Murphy w sm
MURPHY
Two local men were arrested and charged with burglary and theft of property over $1,000 on March 23.The sheriff’s department took 28-year-old Matthew Malachi Lawson and 29-year-old Willie Ray Murphy into custody and charged them both with theft and burglary after Murphy allegedly broke into a business on Highway 70 on March 17 and took several power tools while Lawson provided transportation for the caper.Sheriff Patrick Ray said that Murphy entered the building by breaking a glass door at the side of the business.According to the sheriff, he then entered the building and took power tools for concrete work.Lawson allegedly brought Murphy to the business, then left and returned later to pick up both Murphy and the stolen tools. Bond for each is $10,000 and they will be in court on April 5.Meanwhile, a 34-year-old Dowelltown man was arrested on March 12 and charged with theft of property over $500 and two counts of forgery.Steve A. Stanley was charged after an investigation by sheriff’s department criminal detectives concluded that he had stolen items from an Old Mill Hill Road home and passed at least two forged checks in Smithville.Stanley allegedly passed a forged check in the amount of $100 on a family member’s account at the Citgo station on Highway 70 on March 7.The check was allegedly not signed by the account holder, nor was anyone else authorized to sign it.The next day detectives said Stanley passed a forged check in the amount of $75 at Regions Bank.The check was also written on a family member’s account.The account holder reportedly did not sign the check, nor was anyone else authorized to sign it.Stanley then allegedly took a laptop computer, Fenton glassware, and two white and green baskets from a family member’s home on March 9.The total value of the stolen goods comes to approximately $900.His bond totals $8,500 and he will be in court March 29.Janet Marie Lewis, 50, was charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a Schedule IV drug for resale. According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, drug detectives went to Lewis' home on March 12 to investigate possible drug traffic.After advising her of her Miranda rights, detectives reportedly asked Lewis about her prescription medication and received consent to search.Authorities allegedly found an unlabeled pill bottle containing three 10-mg.