Davon A. Yount, 21, of Dittmer has been charged with two felonies for allegedly stealing a pickup and setting another pickup on fire in the 6800 block of Hwy. Y west of Hillsboro, court records show.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Yount on Dec. 12 with first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, a class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison, and knowingly burning a vehicle, a class E felony that carries a penalty of up to four years in prison, court documents said.
Yount was being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro.
On Dec. 1, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office got a call that a 2004 GMC Sierra, which was worth about $10,000, was stolen from the Hillsboro area and a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado was set on fire in the Hillsboro area, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
The owner of the Sierra told deputies he stored the pickup at a parking lot off Hwy. Y, and he had not given anyone permission to drive the pickup. The report does not clearly say who owned the Silverado that was set on fire, the report said.
In surveillance video, Yount reportedly could be seen entering the Silverado on the parking lot and remaining inside for several minutes. Then, he allegedly could be seen getting into the Sierra and driving away from the parking lot, according to the report.
Yount then allegedly returned to the parking lot in the Sierra and got back inside the Silverado. But several minutes later he got back into the Sierra and left in it, and a fire started inside the Silverado, the report said.
Deputies arrested Yount on Dec. 12. Yount is believed to be homeless, but court documents list an address for him on Sycamore Road in Dittmer, according to the probable-cause statement.
Yount has been the subject of multiple investigations involving burnt vehicles, the report said.