After talking to a detective, a Bloomfield man, suspected of taking a Jon boat, decided to drop the boat off at the sheriff’s department. He was later arrested and his case is still pending. Now a woman is also accused of being involved in the theft.

Debra L. Shake, 64, Jasonville, was in court last Thursday, December 19, after she received a summons to appear in Greene Superior Court.

Alec Marshall Scott Graves, 26, Bloomfield, was arrested on Thursday, November 14, paid $400 which was ten percent of a $4,000 bond, and was released the same day.

Det. Shawn Cullison of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department had been investigating the case of a stolen Jon boat since late September.

On Saturday, September 28, a resident in the Bloomfield area contacted the sheriff’s department and said a Jon boat was missing from her yard. She said a neighbor saw a silver SUV take the boat around 8:30 that morning. The resident provided photographs of the boat and the hull number.

The resident, who had recently purchased the property and items that were left on the property, suspected a woman who used to stay at the residence with the previous owner might have tried to sell the boat to someone and they picked it up, or she came and took it. That woman was Debra Shake.

Det. Cullison spoke to Shake but she said she didn’t know where the boat was or who had taken it.

Then a tip was received that Graves, who drove a silver SUV, might be involved in taking the boat.

Det. Cullison said when he talked to Graves, Graves said he didn’t have it but he did know Shake and allegedly said Shake had tried to get him to go get the boat. He said he didn’t because he didn’t want to get into trouble. Graves allegedly pointed the detective in a different direction, saying another person might have taken the boat, but that didn’t turn out to be true.

It wasn’t long before Graves contacted the sheriff’s department and said he had found the boat at the other person’s residence and he would bring it to the sheriff’s department. He did bring the boat and dropped it off. Det. Cullison said Graves later admitted taking the boat.

Early in November, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Graves.

Graves has been charged with theft, a Level 6 felony.

Det. Cullison reported that when he talked to Shake, who used to live on Sand Hollar Road in the Bloomfield area, she allegedly said the only time she talked to Graves about getting items was when she still lived there. Det. Cullison reported Shake was upset with the new owners of the property and she allegedly said she believed the boat belonged to her. She allegedly said that she was joking when she talked to Graves about going to get the boat.

Shake has been charged with theft, a Class A misdemeanor.