LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – On the morning of Thursday, Oct. 27, Sgt. Brandon Gross with the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office answered two theft calls beginning with one about a stolen 2015 Can-Am Commander from a home on Camp Ridge Road. The owner of the side-by-side told Gross that it had been stolen from her father’s residence around 4 am.

The next call came in at approximately 10 am at Marina Lane, LaFollette about a stolen truck. When Gross arrived, he spoke with the victim who reported a man had stolen his 2013 Toyota Tundra out of his driveway. The victim told Gross he was inside working, and he saw the taillights on his truck and went to see if he left his vehicle running, according to a report from the sheriff’s department. As he reached the truck, he closed the tailgate and the truck lunged forward. The truck then sped up the driveway leading to his home. The owner of the truck tried to open the back door of the truck and was dragged up the driveway by the truck. Gross said the victim had road rash and scrapes on his hands and knees.

After Gross left the Marina Lane home, he received information the truck had been spotted on Easter Lane in LaFollette, which is near Marina Lane. The unoccupied truck was found. Gross attempted to speak with someone at the Easter Lane home, but there was no one inside. Central dispatch notified Gross that a man, possibly involved with the stolen Toyota, had been seen on a side-by-side on Sugar Ridge Lane.

Gross went to Sugar Ridge Lane and found Lowell Wayne Ladd standing next to a house. The sergeant allegedly found keys to the stolen truck in Ladd’s possession.

Ladd, 41, 153 Chapel View Drive, LaFollette was charged with two counts of theft of property $10,000-$59,999 and aggravated assault.

Based on records at the Campbell County Jail, this was Ladd’s 32nd arrest since 2013. Ladd remains housed at the jail this morning on a $30,000 secure bond and will next be in court on Tuesday. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 11/10/2022-6AM)