by Al Summers
News Editor • alsummers@timescourier.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Gilmer County man has been arrested in connection with 12 stolen pieces of heavy equipment, and a spokesperson from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Gilmer County Sheriff Stacy Nicholson, and Appalachian Judicial Circuit District Attorney Joe Hendricks have told the Times-Courier additional arrests are expected.
James Nathan Anderson, 34, of Ellijay, turned himself in to law enforcement officers Tuesday afternoon, April 18, after a warrant for his arrest was issued on Friday, April 14. According to SAC John Cagle of the GBI, Anderson has been charged with 12 counts of theft by receiving, two counts of influencing a witness, and one count of tampering with a witness in Gilmer County.
Anderson appeared before Appalachian Judicial Circuit Senior Judge Brenda Weaver Tuesday morning, April 25, for a hearing regarding bond. By Tuesday afternoon, she set Anderson’s bond at $300,000 with the condition that he wear a global positioning system (GPS) leg monitor and other conditions.
He faces seven counts of theft by taking and seven counts of influencing a witness in Union County and two counts of theft by taking in Pickens County.
Anderson has also been served with a civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act complaint which places liens against pieces of real property and freezes a bank account.
Equipment recovered so far in the investigation include skid steers, trackhoes, and grinder attachments, and Cagle said investigators are continuing to look for other pieces of equipment. The equipment recovered had been stolen in Cherokee, Pickens, Gilmer, and Union counties in Georgia, and from Cherokee County, N.C. The value of the equipment recovered so far is in excess of $300,000.