A 30-year old man appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Monday and pled guilty to charges stemming from events in August and September 2020.
Kyle Randal Bolen, who lists an address in the small Yell County town of Ola, was sentenced to 10 years probation. He is currently in a treatment program in another county and as a condition of his probation; he is required to complete his stay.
The first criminal charges against Bolen filed in Baxter County involve the alleged theft of a rental car from a used car dealer located along Highway 5 North.
Bolen was alleged to have rented a 2017 Chevrolet Cruise on July 13, 2020 and refused to return it.
A Baxter County sheriff’s department investigator said the victim and his employees had “exhausted all means to get Bolen to return the vehicle.”
A theft of property charge was filed against him.
In early September 2020, a victim reported a break-in at his vacation home along Reds Landing Trail in Norfork.
The back door was pried open to gain entry.
A large quantity of fishing gear was taken — including rods and reels, lures, waders and a plastic fuel tank for a boat.
The victim reported having a confrontation with Bolen during which some of the stolen gear was actually recovered.
The victim told investigators that a blue Chevrolet Blazer drove by his residence and he recognized the male driving as a person who had been staying on property next door to him for about two months.
The victim stopped the driver and during a conversation, he saw items allegedly stolen from his house in the vehicle.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the victim asked the driver where he had gotten the fishing gear and he replied “from a friend.”
During the conversation, the victim pulled some of the items out of the vehicle through a broken back passenger’s side window.
The victim told the driver he was calling the police and the Blazer sped off.
The victim and a witness followed the fleeing vehicle until it eventually wrecked. More items of stolen property were found.
The driver fled into the woods on foot.
Paperwork, including an insurance card, found inside the Blazer was made out in Bolen’s name.
A picture of Bolen was shown to the victim who identified him as the person he had confronted.
In addition to the stolen items in the vehicle, officers located a smoking pipe used to ingest methamphetamine.
Investigators reported they went to the property next door to the victim’s vacation home. It was believed to be where Bolen had been staying for more than a month. The owner of the property said Bolen had brought a camper onto her land and that it was located behind some brush.
The camper was found, but Bolen wasn’t. Investigators were able to see the interior since there were no window coverings. They reported the camper was bare of furnishings.
The bathroom door was closed and Investigators opened it to determine if Bolen might be hiding in the room. He was not found, but more items stolen from the vacation home were located.
Most of the stolen equipment was eventually returned to the owner.
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