Theft Ring Dismantled after Investigation leads Deputies to an Oak Valley Residence

Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley recently announced the dismantling of a large theft ring spanning multiple counties over the past several months.

As of late, The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office have received multiple theft reports, most of which, were in areas surrounding Lake Hartwell.

According to Shirley, the thefts ranged from fishing equipment, tools and shop equipment, to utility trailers, electronics and other household items.

Home owners have been reporting that they have been seeing and hearing ATVs in the areas, during late hours of the night and the early hours of the morning.

Investigators have been able to gather enough evidence to obtain a search warrant for a property located at 5709 Oak Valley Road; during the search, investigators were able to recover stolen property from multiple thefts in the area, as well as an ATV stolen from Franklin County and a firearm stolen from North Carolina.

Adam Westley Pruitt, 38, Russell Benjamin Pruitt, 37, and Lisa Dian Pruitt, 48, all of Oak Valley Road, were arrested and are being held at the Stephens county Jail without bond, pending a Superior Court bond hearing due to the fact all three were already out on bond for similar charges prior to the arrest.

Shirley reports that investigators have so far recovered upwards of $20,000 worth of stolen property.

This investigation is still on-going, and there are potentially more property recoveries and charges to come.