TOCCOA, Ga. — A teenager is in custody after investigators tracked down a luxury SUV stolen from a Toccoa-area dealership and recovered it less than a day later in Columbia County.
Stephens County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched just after 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, February 3, to a local automobile dealership following a report that a 2023 Cadillac Escalade V had been stolen sometime the previous evening.
Criminal Investigations Division detectives quickly identified the suspect as Justus Coakley, 17, of Grovetown. Authorities say Coakley had been communicating with the dealership about the vehicle since late January. Investigators determined he allegedly trespassed onto the lot after business hours on Monday, February 2, and drove off with the SUV.
After learning Coakley lived in Columbia County, Stephens County investigators contacted the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office for assistance.
Around 6 p.m. Tuesday, Columbia County deputies went to Coakley’s Grovetown home, where they spotted a similar Escalade in the driveway and interviewed family members. Meanwhile, Stephens County investigators secured an arrest warrant. Deputies took Coakley into custody without incident.
Just after midnight Wednesday, deputies located the stolen Escalade in a subdivision near Coakley’s residence. The vehicle was seized and taken to the Columbia County impound lot, where investigators confirmed it was the same SUV stolen from Stephens County.
Coakley was transported to the Stephens County Jail on Wednesday afternoon. He is charged with theft by taking (felony), theft by deception, and criminal trespass. He remains in jail pending a bond hearing before a Stephens County magistrate judge.
Stephens County Sheriff Rusty Fulbright said the immediate response and hours of diligent work by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office were pivotal in helping to quickly solve the case.
“I am extremely proud of our Criminal Investigations Division for their strong investigative work and teamwork with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, which led to a swift arrest and recovery of the stolen vehicle,” said Fulbright.
