PUTNAM COUNTY, TN – Wednesday, December 8
th, 2021, Sheriff Eddie Farris announced the Putnam
County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division have identified a suspect in local burglary and theft crimes that have especially affected the Cumberland Cove area. The burglaries included several highly valued construction equipment.
Over the weekend an attempted theft was made at a construction site in the Cumberland Cove area. From that attempt, a description was obtained of the suspect and the suspect’s vehicle. The PCSO started patrolling known locations where the suspect was believed to frequent. Last night, December 7th, Lieutenant Jeremy Nash observed a vehicle at a residence on Mackie Road matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle. During the process of attempting to serve local warrant on the subject, it was observed multiple items known to be stolen were present around the residence.
PCSO Deputies and Detective Haworth executed a search of the area and discovered multiple stolen items such as vehicles, trailers, appliances, lumber, and other construction equipment from Putnam County, Cumberland County, Davidson County (Nashville), and Hamilton County theft cases in the yard and storage sheds of the residence.
Warrants were obtained for the suspect Donnie B. Fritts, 78, of Cookeville, who was subsequently arrested Wednesday morning and charged with three counts of felony theft. Fritts was booked into jail on a $6000 bond.
Fritts has an extensive criminal history that includes a number of charges such as: multiple counts of simple possession, multiple accounts of manufacture, deliver, sell of controlled substance, and multiple outstanding warrants.
