DATE: Wednesday, January 18, 2017
SUBJECT: Father and Son Arrested after Carjacking and Home Burglary
RELEASE NUMBER: 2017-NR-007
CONTACT: Lt. Noah Robinson
AUTHORITY: Sheriff Dave Wedding
On Monday, January 16, 2017 at 6:50 PM the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 1600 block of Allens Lane in reference to a holdup in progress. Two CSX railroad employees and a driver for PTI transportation reported they had been robbed at gunpoint and their company vehicle stolen.
The CSX employees and the PTI driver explained that the group was sitting in a PTI transportation van waiting for a train to arrive so that the CSX employees could start their work shift. Two male suspects approached with flashlights and ordered them to get out of their vehicle. The victims were told to put their hands up and place their wallets and cell phones on top of their vehicle. The victims described one of the suspects as being armed with an “assault rifle” and the other with a handgun. The suspects released the victims, but not before one of the men threatened, “You`re lucky I`m going to let you live tonight.” The suspects then drove off in the PTI transportation van.
Later that morning at 1:30 AM the Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in the 13000 block of St. Wendel Road in reference to a report of a residential burglary. The victim reported that he had been asleep on his couch when he heard two loud bangs and a crash. The victim investigated the source of the noise and noticed glass lying all over his kitchen floor. He then heard what he believed to be two males yelling in his attached garage. The victim called 911 and armed himself with a rifle. The suspects escaped with a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle taken from the victim’s garage.
The barn on the property is owned by Arrowhead Landscaping and was equipped with an external security camera. Security footage captured by the camera revealed that the suspects were driving the stolen PTI transportation van from Allens Lane. A foreman for the landscaping company positively identified one of the suspects as Gary Whittington Jr. (a former employee who quit the company in 2014). The foreman also believed the second suspect pictured was Gary Whittington’s son, Mr. Gary Elijah Whittington.
The elder Whittington was already wanted on an outstanding felony warrant for violating the terms of his probation, which was related to previous charges of Resisting Law Enforcement and Operating as a Habitual Traffic Offender. Sheriff’s Office deputies and Indiana State Police troopers assigned to the U.S. Marshal’s Service Fugitive Task Force located both Gary Whittington Jr. and Gary Elija Whittington at an address in the 800 block of Allens Lane and took both into custody. The stolen van was later recovered in the Fulton Terrace area of Evansville.
Both suspects are currently lodged in the Vanderburgh County Jail and will make a court appearance later this afternoon.
ARRESTED:
Gary Whittington Jr. (pictured above), 40, of Evansville. Robbery while Armed with a Deadly Weapon as a Level 3 Felony (3 Counts), Auto Theft as a Level 6 Felony, Burglary of a Dwelling while Armed as a Level 2 Felony, Theft of a Firearm as a Level 6 Felony, Criminal Mischief as a Class B Misdemeanor.
Gary Elijah Whittington (pictured above), 21, of Evansville. Robbery while Armed with a Deadly Weapon as a Level 3 Felony (3 Counts), Auto Theft as a Level 6 Felony, Burglary of a Dwelling while Armed as a Level 2 Felony, Theft of a Firearm as a Level 6 Felony, Criminal Mischief as a Class B Misdemeanor.
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