A Bloomfield man accused of breaking into a barn and stealing a four-wheeler tried to sell it. He loaded it into a truck and went to the access site on White River near Worthington to meet a buyer. Instead of a buyer, he met sheriff’s deputies who arrested him and took him to jail.

Devin Kyle Royal Bays, 26, Bloomfield, was arrested by Detective Shawn Cullison of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department late last Friday, August 14, as a result of Det. Cullison’s investigation into a burglary and theft of a four-wheeler.

On Saturday, August 8, GCSD Deputy Jordan Gooding talked to a man who reported someone had broken into his barn. Several items were missing. The items stolen included a red Kawasaki Prairie 400 four-wheeler, a Generac 5000 generator, a small yellow air compressor, a backpack sprayer and a couple of gas cans.

Det. Cullison and Deputy Gooding went out to check the property and found a chain cut and a metal bar that was against a sliding door was bent. They found half of a chain link that appeared to have been cut with bolt cutters.

By August 11, Det. Cullison found a red Kawasaki Prairie 400 for sale around Bloomfield on a cell phone app called “Letgo,” an app used to post items for sale. The owner was able to identify the Kawasaki – it had an aftermarket hook that he had attached to the Kawasaki used to attach a snowplow.

Devin Bays was listed as the seller of the Kawasaki. When he was contacted by the detective using a different name, Bays said he was posting it for a friend. The detective arranged a meeting at a gas station by no one showed up.

Another meeting was set up for last Friday at the access site to White River just east of Worthington off State Road 157. Prior to the meeting, GCSD Terry Wade reported seeing a white Ford F-150 with a red four-wheeler in the back on its way northbound on SR 157 from Bloomfield toward Worthington.

At the access site, Det. Cullison and Deputy Zachary Goad located the truck and identified the driver as Devin Bays.

Bays allegedly denied breaking into the barn and said he was selling the four-wheeler for a friend.

Bays was arrested and transported to the sheriff’s department where Det. Cullison secured a search warrant for his cell phone.

When the search warrant was executed, Det. Cullison reported he found numerous photos of the Kawasaki in various locations, including a couple of the four-wheeler next to a lake with fishing equipment. He also found photos of a generator.

In addition, in a folder of screenshots, he found screenshots of a “ThinkGIS” map of the property where the barn was located showing the property lines and owner information. The barn had been highlighted.

There were numerous text messages on the phone from Bays to other individuals that mentioned the four-wheeler. One said, “I got a new quad and I need to sell a generator.” Another one said, “Bout to meet someone to buy this quad.”

Bays was booked in at 10:27 p.m. to the Greene County Jail where his bond was set at $4,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He posted $400 and was released.

Bays is due in Greene Circuit Court in the morning, Thursday, August 20, for an initial hearing when he will be formally charged with: