A Baxter County man, noted to have five prior felony convictions, is facing charges for allegedly stealing a motorcycle. Forty-seven-year-old Chadwick Whitlow is facing felony charges of theft and criminal mischief for the incident.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Sept. 30, the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a missing motorcycle. Deputies went with the victim to retrieve a Harley Davidson motorcycle and a Honda motorcycle, but only the Honda was present. The victim stated that the man who had the motorcycles, Whitlow, had permission to ride the Honda motorcycle but not the Harley Davidson. While at Whitlow’s residence, the victim was handed a handwritten bill of $1,800 for storage of the motorcycles.
The victim learned Whitlow had wrecked the motorcycle and was located at JHOOK Wrecker Service in Little Rock. Arkansas State Police completed an accident report on Sept. 25. The motorcycle was towed, and Whitlow was taken to the hospital. The victim said she had received the keys to the motorcycle from her husband before the incident. Therefore, Whitlow could not have the key to the vehicle. According to the victim, the motorcycle could be started without a key, but the gas tank is locked, meaning Whitlow would have to drill out the lock on the fuel tank to put gas in.
Text messages received by deputies revealed the victim had contacted Whitlow multiple times throughout the month, trying to get the motorcycles back. Whitlow stated numerous times he would have the vehicles available, but the victim would not find the vehicles where Whitlow claimed they would be.
The victim supplied photographs of the damage to the motorcycle from the accident, estimated to be between $1,000 and $5,000. Photos showed the housing on top of the fuel tank was disassembled, and the locking portion of the fuel cap was broken off to access the fuel fill.
Whitlow was booked into the Baxter County Detention Center, where he faces a felony charge of theft of property and a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief for the incident with a habitual offender enhancement. He was released on a $7,500 bond.
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