Suspect rents excavator with trailer, then sells them

A local man returning to the United States got a surprise welcome from Peachtree City Police officers, who gave him a free ride to the Fayette County Jail.

Ernest Wise, 33, of Stockbridge faces two felony counts of theft by conversion after his May 10 arrest at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Warrants were taken out on him a few months ago, according to a spokesman for the police department.

The suspect is alleged to have fraudulently rented a John Deere 17-G mini-excavator along with a trailer to tow it, both from Home Depot, before attempting to sell the items elsewhere, police said. The equipment is likely valued at $40,000 or more.

He is part of an organized retail crime group and is believed to have been involved in multiple other incidents around the metro Atlanta area, the police spokesman indicated.

After tracking his whereabouts, Peachtree City police worked with U.S. Customs officials to ensure that he was detained at the airport so he could be taken into custody.

In an unrelated incident in Peachtree City, a traffic stop was conducted May 14 on N. Hwy. 74 due to a lack of insurance on the vehicle. The driver advised the officer that he paid his insurance a day earlier and it should be current. When asked for a driver’s license, the driver said he did not have it.

After obtaining a name and date of birth, it was discovered that the driver’s license was suspended for failure to appear and he had two warrants. Marquie Tobler, 42, of Conley was arrested and taken to Fayette County Jail.

Officers responded May 12 in reference to a possible scam in progress. A resident said that two men stopped by soliciting services, then became aggressive when the resident contested the charge. They then requested that the payment not be written to their business but to an unrelated individual.

The ensuing investigation led to a pair of arrests. Desmond McCrory, 31, of Junction City faces a felony drug charge along with two city ordinance violations, according to the jail log. Jarel Farley, 27, of Woodland was charged with marijuana possession and a city ordinance violation.