That blue motorcycle, crashed in woods during manhunt near Calvertville, was a stolen bike
Craig Daniel Blake
On Monday, May 14, a man called in to Greene County Dispatch to report his motorcycle had been stolen. He said he’d been away from home all weekend and when he returned, his blue Yamaha motorcycle was missing from his shed.
Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy Alan Jackson investigated with assistance from GCSD Sgt. Bobby Pierce and Deputy Heather Wood.
As a result, a new case was filed Thursday alleging Craig Blake, 51, Bloomfield, stole the motorcycle. He now has four criminal cases pending against him.
When the officers spoke with the owner of the motorcycle, he said he suspected Blake. When asked why, the owner said when he got home, Blake’s dog, Isabell, was on his property. He said he knew the dog from past interactions with Blake.
In addition, the officers knew Blake had just been arrested over the weekend after he fled from them on a blue motorcycle, which Blake crashed in the woods.
The motorcycle’s owner told officers he first got it in an FFA auction in Sullivan County. It didn’t come with a title and he didn’t know the vehicle identification number, but he had photos of it. He was able to identify the cycle, describing missing stickers, marks due to damage and an after-market tire with a label still on.
Deputy Jackson said he attempted to interview Blake at the sheriff’s department, but Blake didn’t want to talk about the motorcycle.
Then they interviewed Rusty Crowe, the other man who was arrested in the Calvertville incident. According to an affidavit prepared by Jackson, Crowe said he didn’t have anything to do with the stolen motorcycle, but Blake had showed up at his house on the motorcycle right before law enforcement showed up.
Late Thursday, the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office filed the new case against Blake in Greene Superior Court and Judge Dena Martin ordered a warrant be issued for Blake’s arrest.
Blake won’t be hard to find to serve the warrant – he has not posted bond and has been in the Greene County Jail since the day of his arrest.
When he appears in court for an initial hearing in this case, he’ll be charged with auto theft, a Level 6 felony.