Midway man accused of stealing motorcycles from deceased man’s residence

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Seth Withrow (Photo courtesy of Baxter County Sheriff’s Office)

A Midway man is accused of stealing a pair of motorcycles and other items from a residence of a man deceased since June. Thirty-two-year-old Seth Withrow is currently out on bond after being charged with a felony count of theft of property.

According to the probable cause affidavit, family members of the deceased male filed a report his residence on County Road 10 in Midway being burglarized on Sept. 18. Items missing since June 29 included the two motorcycles at a total value of $4,500, an $800 generator, a $50 garden cart, miscellaneous tools and electronics and a medical oxygen generator. The family also told the Baxter County deputy the camper trailer the man had resided in had been broken into and ransacked.

On Oct. 3, an Arkansas state trooper initiated a traffic stop of a motorcycle with an expired license plate at the intersection of Cannie Baker Road and Webber Road. Before the stop was made, the trooper ran the tag and discovered the motorcycle had been reported stolen.

The motorcycle turned onto Lonon Place, a dead end road. The operator was identified as Withrow and was taken into custody. The trooper noticed the ignition switch was missing and had been tampered with. Withrow reportedly claimed the he was given the motorcycle and had a bill of sale from nearly a year prior. Withrow did not provide the bill, but he produced an expired insurance card under the name of the deceased male.

Withrow bonded from the Baxter County Detention Center that day. The next day, he approached two Baxter County investigators and claimed he purchased two motorcycles and another vehicle from the deceased male. He reportedly tore two pieces of paper from a spiral notebook. The two “bills of sale” were completed in pencil without any signatures, and Withrow reportedly said there were no other witnesses to the transaction.

Withrow also reportedly claimed he collected one motorcycle from the property, and he and another collected the other motorcycle. He also said someone took the second motorcycle while he was in custody. In addition, he provided a photocopy of a title for the other vehicle he claimed to have purchased from the deceased male. The back of the title indicated it was sold to the male in 2010 by a local used car dealership. After the man’s death in June, family members with through his camper trailer, and current titles registered to him were in possession of his daughter.

In addition to theft, Withrow was also charged with failure to show proof of ownership, no proof of liability insurance and no motorcycle license. His bond was set at $3,005.

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