Two men suspected in multiple burglaries were busted on Saturday after deputies followed tracks through the snow. In initial interviews, both suspects blamed the other one. Deputies recovered a significant number of valuable items for victims, but one gun safe was found in a creek. The investigation is ongoing. GCSD is asking anyone who may have been the victim of a recent burglary to contact the sheriff’s department.

Devin Kyle Royal Bays, 26, and Garrett Ray Carter, 26, both of Bloomfield, were arrested by Detective Shawn Cullison of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department on Saturday, February 13. Bays was booked into the Greene County Jail at 1:06 a.m. Carter was booked in at 4:13 p.m.

Det. Cullison said that starting on Thursday, January 21, continuing through last Monday, February 8, the Greene County Sheriff’s Department was getting calls about burglaries, all occurring within one general area of the county, all within a few miles of each other.

Thursday, January 21: The driveway cable was cut and a door to a cabin on East Ash Road, in rural Bloomfield, was pried open. Missing items included a Mr. Heater propane heater, two DVD players, an Element television and a small Tao Tao 110 four-wheeler.

Sunday, January 31: The locks were busted off a shed on East Birch Road, rural Bloomfield. Missing items included a Honda 650 four-wheeler, a Keurig coffeemaker, a flat screen TV, a leaf blower, a chainsaw, a pole saw and a radio as well as other Menards brand/Master Force tools.

Wednesday, February 3: A garage on East Mineral-Koleen Road was broken into and a side door of a residence had been pried open. Missing items included a gun safe containing several guns including several rifles and an AR 15 rifle with a Nikon scope. Several backpacks with bullets and bullet reloading supplies including dies for reloading, projectiles and gun powder were also missing. Other items missing included several drills, saws and hand tools.

Monday, February 8: A window was pried open and a sliding glass door broken on a residence on South Happy Hollow Road, rural Bloomfield. Missing items included a Winchester rifle, a Ridge air nailer, a Samsung TV, a laptop, several boxes of ammunition, a Sentry safe and several other tools.

The burglars made a mistake at the Happy Hollow Road burglary. Although snow had started to melt, Det. Cullison was able to follow tracks through the snow or on the ground turning out of the driveway onto Happy Hollow Road then onto Ash Road then onto Coalmine Road. Matching tire tracks were found in a yard at a residence on Coalmine Road at the residence of Garrett Carter.

Then last Friday, February 12, GCSD Deputy Terry Wade was patrolling in the area when he saw a Honda four-wheeler matching the Honda that was stolen. It was sitting at a residence on Mineral-Koleen Road, at the residence of Devin Bays. Deputy Wade called Det. Cullison to get a more detailed description of the stolen four-wheeler. Det. Cullison sent him a photo and Deputy Wade believed he’d found the stolen Honda four-wheeler. But about five minutes later when he returned to the residence, the four-wheeler was gone.

At that point, Det. Cullison and GCSD Det. David Elmore met up with Deputy Wade and they all went to talk to Bays who said Carter had driven a four-wheeler to his house but he didn’t see it leave.

The investigation continued, which led deputies to a nearby residence with a trail that led back into a woods, with fresh four-wheeler tracks. The three followed the trail and found another set of four-wheeler tracks came onto the trail then led back to the Bays residence. They followed tracks turning off and circling around until they found the Honda four-wheeler parked next to a lake in the woods. It was positively identified as the stolen Honda. There were footprints leading away from where it was parked, going back to the trail, then stopping at a spot where the second four-wheeler had turned around. Someone on another four-wheeler had picked up the operator of the stolen Honda four-wheeler.

Later that same day, last Friday, a search warrant was issued for the Bays residence. While the others waited on the scene, Det. Cullison had gone to complete paperwork and secure the search warrant after it was signed by Greene Superior Judge Dena Martin.

On the way back to the Bays residence, search warrant in hand, Det. Cullison was eastbound on Mineral-Koleen Road, just west of Dry Branch Road, when he came upon a Dodge truck stopped on the side of the road with a four-wheeler off the south side of the road. A family member of one of the suspects was driving the truck. Bays was a passenger. Carter was sitting on the four-wheeler and said he had run out of gas and the other two were there to help. But Det. Cullison noticed the four-wheeler had tires that matched the tire tracks left at the Happy Hollow Road burglary and that he had followed through the snow.

In answer to questions, the family member indicated that Bays had driven the stolen Honda four-wheeler into the woods and that he (the family member) had picked him up on another four-wheeler. Bays was then detained and transported to the Greene County Sheriff’s Department for questioning.

While Det. Cullison was on the side of the road with these individuals, Det. Elmore, Deputy Wade and GCSD Chief Deputy George Dallaire executed the search warrant at the Bays residence. Det. Cullison reported they located several backpacks with ammunition and reloading supplies in a shed, a Sentry safe in the snow nearby, several Dewalt cordless drills and impacts in a truck and the Mr. Heater propane heater next to the truck. The AR 15 with scope was located in a small chicken coup along with a Savage rifle.

Inside the residence, they located several AR style magazines loaded with 300 black out rounds and a Masterforce green radio. In a bedroom, they found a plate with a white crystal substance that field-tested positive as methamphetamine.

When questioned, Bays allegedly denied knowledge of where the stolen items came from but said Carter brought them there or must have put them there. He also said Carter was the one who stole the items and would stash them at a house belonging to a family member. But regarding the methamphetamine, Bays allegedly said, “It is what it is.”

When deputies went to the house belonging to a family member of Carter, they reported recovering the Samsung TV and numerous tools.

When Carter was picked up and taken in for an interview, he changed his story several times, saying he just helped Bays load up some things from one residence, then later allegedly admitting he had also entered the house. Regarding the guns, he denied knowing anything about them and allegedly said Bays had burglarized that residence. Carter allegedly did say they pried the gun safe open, removed the guns then threw the gun safe in a creek. He pointed the area out on a map and the detectives located the gun safe in a creek on Mineral-Koleen Road.

Det. Cullison noted that Bays has a previous conviction of felony theft in Greene County in 2017.

Charges will be filed against Bays and Carter.

Bays is expected to be charged with four counts of theft, a Level 6 felony, two counts of burglary, a Level 4 felony, one count of burglary, a Level 5 felony, and possession of methamphetamine with a firearm, a Level 5 felony.

Carter is expected to be charged with three counts of theft, a Level 6 felony, two counts of burglary, a Level 4 felony, and burglary, a Level 5 felony.

Bays is being held without bond pending court appearance. Carter is being held on a $52,000 surety bond with ten percent cash allowed.

On Monday afternoon, Det. Cullison said the investigation is ongoing. The list of items recovered may not be complete in this story. Detectives suspect other properties may have been recently burglarized and he said property owners might want to check their outbuildings, garages and other areas to see if they are missing items or notice signs of entry.

Anyone with information on the above investigation and anyone who would like to report missing items or a burglary is asked to contact the Greene County Sheriff’s Department at 812-384-4411.