The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has arrested four Evansville residents following an investigation into a series of burglaries and car thefts that occurred in western Vanderburgh and Posey Counties over the last several months. Keith Fuller, his wife Leah Fuller, Jeremy Lefler, and Jeremiah Franklin were arrested on multiple felony charges, including Burglary, Conspiracy to Commit Burglary, Theft, Auto Theft, Organized Theft, Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon, and Obstruction of Justice.
Over the past several months, deputies have taken multiple reports involving burglaries at residences and outbuildings along Number 6 School Road, New Harmony Road, Vienna Road, Big Cynthiana Road, and nearby locations. A theft from Mayse Farm Market on St. Joseph Avenue was also linked to the suspects. Two locations were burglarized multiple times. Stolen items included power tools, firearms, hunting gear, collectibles, sports memorabilia, antiques, and several vehicles, including a 1973 Porsche 914 sports car. Posey County reported similar burglaries in areas bordering western Vanderburgh County.
Detectives processed numerous crime scenes for evidence, including DNA, and submitted materials to the Indiana State Police Laboratory. The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office coordinated closely with the Posey County Sheriff’s Office throughout the investigation.
“This case highlights the value of cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the persistence of our detectives,” said Sheriff Noah Robinson. “By working together and following every lead, we were able to recover stolen property, dismantle an organized theft operation, and bring accountability to those responsible. I want to thank Posey County Sheriff Tom Latham for partnering with us on this complicated and time consuming investigation.”
On September 30th, Posey County detectives contacted the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office after locating an eBay listing showing items stolen in a Posey County burglary. Investigators discovered additional items in the listing matching stolen property from Vanderburgh County, including parts from the stolen Porsche. The account was traced to Keith Fuller, who resides in the 9800 block of New Harmony Road, which is within the vicinity of the reported burglaries. Both counties obtained search warrants for Fuller’s residence, and Posey County secured an arrest warrant charging him with Burglary.
Later that day, deputies from Vanderburgh and Posey Counties, along with members of the Evansville-Vanderburgh Joint Drug Task Force and ATF Task Force, executed the search warrant. Keith and Leah Fuller were present, and detectives recovered numerous stolen items, including Porsche components and a loaded rifle. The remainder of the Porsche was found abandoned in a wooded area on Vienna Road.
Keith Fuller was taken into custody on the Posey County warrant and remains jailed there. Vanderburgh County detectives later obtained a warrant charging him with Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon due to the rifle found in his vehicle. Fuller has prior felony convictions for Dealing Methamphetamine in 2003 and 2007.
The investigation continued with a search warrant executed on October 9th at the home of Jeremy Lefler on Marie Avenue. Detectives recovered multiple stolen items and a small quantity of suspected methamphetamine. Lefler confessed to participating in the burglaries and admitted selling stolen property online for Keith Fuller. He was arrested and remains in the Vanderburgh County Jail.
On October 10th, detectives served a third search warrant at a residence on Third Avenue, arresting Jeremiah Franklin. Although no stolen property was recovered, Franklin gave a statement implicating himself and the Fullers. A second search at the Fuller residence recovered a stolen handgun from a Posey County burglary and other unreported stolen items.
The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are possible.
ARRESTED:
Leah Marie Fuller, 42, of Evansville
- Burglary (Level 5 Felony) – 2 Counts
- Conspiracy to Commit Burglary (Level 5 Felony)
- Organized Theft (Level 6 Felony) – 6 Counts
- Theft (Level 6 Felony) – 6 Counts
- Obstruction of Justice (Level 6 Felony)
Jeremy Lee Lefler, 44, of Evansville
- Possession of Methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)
- Maintaining a Common Nuisance (Level 6 Felony)
- Burglary (Level 5 Felony) – 2 Counts
- Conspiracy to Commit Burglary (Level 5 Felony)
- Organized Theft (Level 6 Felony) – 5 Counts
- Theft (Level 6 Felony) – 5 Counts
Jeremiah Brent Franklin, 49, of Evansville
- Conspiracy to Commit Burglary (Level 5 Felony)
- Auto Theft (Level 6 Felony)
- Organized Theft (Level 6 Felony) – 3 Counts
Keith Allen Fuller, 51, of Evansville(Image pending)
- In Custody – Posey County Charges
- Warrant – Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon (Level 4 Felony)
- Pending Charges – Burglary (Level 5 Felony) – 10 Counts; Conspiracy to Commit Burglary (Level 5 Felony); Auto Theft (Level 4 Felony) – 4 Counts; Organized Theft (Level 6 Felony) – 12 Counts; Theft (Level 6 Felony) – 12 Counts; Criminal Trespass (Class A Misdemeanor) – 2 Counts
Presumption of Innocence Notice: The fact that a person has been arrested or charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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