When a resident in the Solsberry area came home last week and found a man trying to steal his truck out of his driveway, he called 911. He said he had the suspect “pinned down.” When a deputy arrived, the suspect was arrested.

Seth David Phillips, 23, rural Bloomfield, was arrested by Deputy Jordan Allor of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department last Wednesday night, December 2.

Around 5:40 p.m. last Wednesday, a resident on North State Road 43, Solsberry, called the sheriff’s department and told dispatch a man was trying to steal his blue 1992 Chevrolet pick-up truck in his driveway. The resident said he had the suspect “pinned down.”

Deputy Allor was dispatched and when he arrived on the scene, he saw the resident standing in his driveway with the suspect standing next to a blue and white 1994 Ford F150 pickup truck. The Ford, that was driven there by the suspect, was parked directly in front of the resident’s Chevrolet pickup with the hood up. There was a battery placed on the Chevrolet and a set of jumper cables between the two trucks.

The suspect was identified as Seth Phillips. The resident was very upset saying he didn’t know Phillips but Phillips was trying to steal his truck.

Phillips allegedly said a woman named Malinda lived at the residence and she had told his friend, Nicky, that she wanted the vehicles removed. He said Malinda gave the key to the truck to Nicky and Nicky gave the key to him and he was going to remove all the vehicles.

The resident said he had lived at the residence for 12-15 years and he does not know a Malinda. The resident also said the day before, he had several batteries and a four-way tire tool taken from behind his garage and that a wheel had been removed from a Ford Explorer and his Honda passenger car was lifted and placed on a jack stand – both of those vehicles were junk cars on his property. He also said the keys to his Chevrolet truck were taken from under the floor mat.

Deputy Allor reported Phillips was found to be in possession of a set of keys including the Chevrolet truck key - found inside a pocket. A bag of green plant material was found inside another pocket.

The Ford truck, belonging to Phillips, was inventoried prior to towing and Deputy Allor reported finding a black Anderson Mfg. AR style rifle with a scope and a loaded 20-round magazine with .223 caliber bullets, a loaded 10-round magazine and a bag containing 76 rounds of .223 caliber ammunition. Also located was another bag containing green plant material, a red rubber container with a wax-like material, a digital scale, a small glass jar with a white powder residue and another bag containing a white crystal substance that field tested positive as methamphetamine.

Phillips was arrested and transported to the Greene County Jail where a jailer reported Phillips was found in possession of a clear glass smoking device. Phillips was booked in at 7:50 p.m. and was held without bond pending court appearance.

Earlier today, Tuesday, December 8, during his initial hearing in Greene Superior Court, Phillips was charged with:

Possession of methamphetamine, a Level 5 felony,
Auto theft – theft of entire automobile, a Level 6 felony,
Criminal trespassing, a Class A misdemeanor, and
Possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor.

A public defender was appointed to represent him and his bond was set at $15,500 with ten percent cash allowed.

As of Tuesday night, he had not yet posted bond, but earlier today, another warrant was issued for his arrest. In an earlier and still pending case that dates back to an incident in 2018, Phillips was charged with burglary, a Level 5 felony, and theft, a Class A misdemeanor. Phillips was out on bond while awaiting a jury trial that is scheduled for February, 2021, but on Tuesday, a petition to revoke his bond was filed, approved and a warrant issued.