Wednesday, August 4, 2021 - A Roland man pleaded not guilty July 21 to felony charges of second-degree burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle.
William Roy Tubbs, 52, faces up to seven years in prison if he is convicted of the burglary charge, while the stolen vehicle charge carries a penalty of up to two years in prison. His next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 11.
On July 14, a Sequoyah County Sheriff's investigator learned that Jeremy Cantwell had reported a building on his property had been broken into and that multiple items, including a Poulan chainsaw and other tools, had been stolen.
All law enforcement officers had to go on was a photo of the van allegedly used in the theft as well as a picture of a male who was driving the van. The Sheriff's Department learned that the van had been stolen in Fort Smith the night before Cantwell's building was robbed.
On July 16, the van was found in Sequoyah County and it was taken into custody, along with Tubbs, who was transported to the SCSO.
In an interview, Tubbs said he came into possession of the truck after he and another man and woman, whose names he said he did not know, went to a business on Wheeler Avenue in Fort Smith and stole the van that was in the lot. Tubbs said the keys were in the ignition and they simply drove off. Tubbs, admittedly the only person who drove the van, said he dropped the couple off at their residence and then he traveled to Sequoyah County.
Tubbs said he stopped at Freddy's gas station in Moffett to get gas, then went to the residence he allegedly burglarized. He said he backed up to the building and then knocked on the front door of the home. No one answered the door, Tubbs said, so he started loading items from the building into the van. Tubbs said he took a Dewalt box and some other items he could not remember, telling police all the stolen items should still be in the van, except for a weedeater, which he said he propped up at the residence where he was staying in Fort Smith.
Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer
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