Greencastle man arrested after string of auto thefts

A Greencastle man was jailed Wednesday following a Putnam County Sheriff's Department investigation of three recent auto thefts.

Deputies arrested 50-year-old Dale McKnight Wednesday morning in Greencastle in connection with the thefts. He was booked into the jail on two counts of auto theft, two counts of possession of stolen property, driving with a suspended license with prior and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.

PCSD Lt. Doug Nally said other charges are possible, as McKnight was also discovered in possession of drug paraphernalia. McKnight is charged with only two counts of auto theft in Putnam County because the first vehicle was not stolen here.

The investigation began with a one-vehicle crash on U.S. 40 on Jan. 27. Nally said deputies discovered the 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix had been reported stolen out of Hendricks County. No occupant of the vehicle was located.

About three hours later, a 2003 Dodge Ram was stolen within two miles of the crash site.

On Feb. 9, deputies discovered the stolen pickup in a field along West Walnut Street, Greencastle, following a report from a neighbor.

About two days after that, a 2010 Chevrolet HHR was stolen from the Walker Lane and West Walnut area.

Nally said McKnight had been a person of interest for much of the investigation. On Wednesday morning, deputies found him and the missing car.

Having obtained information about McKnight's likely whereabouts, Nally began checking the Indiana Springs/Northview Apartments area along Arlington Street and Albin Pond Road. He found the car parked there on Wednesday morning.

As the vehicle was being recovered, Nally saw a van on the other side of a fence and noticed a man hiding in the back seat.

PCSD Lt. Donnie Pettit and officers from the Greencastle Police Department stopped the van, finding McKnight in the back seat.

Sheriff Scott Stockton praised the work Nally did in conjunction with Hendricks County and GPD, as well as the cooperation between road deputies and detectives.

"Doug works very well with GPD and has been networking with Hendricks County," Stockton said. "This is not a competition. We will continue to work with these other agencies and share information."

While not necessarily linked to this case, Stockton also wished to remind car owners that auto theft has been a problem in central Indiana this winter in particular. Thieves are looking for unattended, running vehicles -- both in driveways and at stores and gas stations.

These are not the only reports of stolen vehicles the Putnam County Sheriff's Department has investigated this winter, and officers have continued to pursue those cases as well.