GREENVILLE — A jury returned a verdict of guilty in the trial of a Union City man accused of stealing an all-terrain vehicle.
Testimony was presented on Tuesday and Wednesday in the case of Joshua Bright, 34, of Union City. He was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony, and breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony.
The jury found his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt on both counts in the theft of a red Suzuki ATV from the yard of Billy Saylor on the afternoon of Sept. 28, 2015.
A nearby neighbor testified that Bright had stopped by her home for a cigarette while out on his bicycle, and then she said she saw him a short time later go by on the ATV with his bicycle on the back.
The ATV was located on Bright’s property later in the day after Theresa Oswalt reported where she suspected it to be.
Deputies also found a labelled bottle of prescription pills in the handlebar bag on the ATV, prescribed to Bright’s father, who told investigators that his son must have broken in to the locked medicine cabinet and stolen the pills.
The defense claimed Bright had bought the ATV via a Craigslist ad. The defense also raised some doubt as to the registered owner of the vehicle and called into question the timeline presented.
Bright was represented at trial by attorney David Rohrer. The state’s case was made by Assistant Darke County Prosecuting Attorney Deborah Quigley.
Sentencing is set for Jan. 27 at 3 p.m.
