Stolen car found in Rough River Lake

Oct. 17--A car discovered in Rough River Lake on Tuesday evening was reportedly stolen from Tractor Supply Company in Leitchfield that same day.

A call came in to E-911 dispatch at just before 6 p.m. on Oct. 14 when a passerby noticed a white passenger car partially submerged in Rough River Lake at the Eveleigh boat ramp.

By the time Leitchfield Fire Department (LFD) divers arrived on scene, the vehicle was fully submerged and was several yards out into the lake.

First responders from Grayson County Sheriff's Office (GCSO), Kentucky State Police (KSP), and Grayson County EMS also responded. With a large number of first responders on scene at the rural location, crowds of bystanders soon gathered around the boat ramp area to watch the action.

The vehicle was recovered from the lake and brought to shore in a joint effort between LFD divers and Tanner's Towing Service.

Additional firefighters searched the lake by boat while GCSO officers controlled the scene on land. Once the vehicle's tags had been run, KSP troopers left the scene to contact the owner of the vehicle.

The vehicle, which was identified as a white 1994 Toyota Corolla, was licensed to Teela S. Meredith, of Leitchfield. Meredith was working that evening at Tractor Supply Company on Elizabethtown Road in Leitchfield, and told officers that she had left the vehicle unlocked in the parking lot with the keys and her purse inside of it.

Because the theft occurred in the city of Leitchfield, the case was handed over to Leitchfield Police Department (LPD) at that time.

According to the police report filed by LPD Officer Ian Renfrow, Meredith said that she noticed the vehicle missing during her shift but thought that her husband had come to pick it up.

Her husband later notified her by phone that officers had been to their home in reference to the vehicle being found in Rough River Lake, but she said that she thought it was a joke until officers arrived to speak with her at work.

Meredith told officers that she did not have current insurance on the stolen vehicle, which was valued at $2,500. The value of the vehicle as recovered was estimated at $250.

According to the incident report, multiple charges are expected to be brought in this case, including theft by unlawful taking of an automobile valued at more than $500 but less than $10,000; criminal mischief in the first degree; and tampering with physical evidence.

LPD Detective Kevin Smith said that the investigation is ongoing, and police would like to encourage anyone who may have witnessed related activity either at Tractor Supply Company or the Eveleigh boat ramp on Tuesday evening to contact them at 270-259-3850.

Reach Brittany Wise at 27-259-9622 ext. 2014 or on twitter @AWordFromWise.

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