Roy W. Tipton
SALINE CO.— A former Hardin County man has been jailed in Saline on a pair of felonies that could land him in prison for a significant amount of time if found guilty.
Hours later, an Elizabethtown man of the same last name, was arrested for shoplifting.
According to information filed in the case, on December 12, at approximately 4:30 p.m. Harrisburg Police Sergeant Michael Riden observed a truck westbound in the 000 block of West Homer Street failed to signal when he turned into an alleyway.
When Sgt. Riden ran the plate it came back registered to Johnny E. Tipton, 58, of 781A Combs Rd., Campton, Ky., who was listed as having a suspended Kentucky license.
A subsequent inventory of the vehicle uncovered a plastic tool case located in the backseat.
Inside that case Sgt. Riden located a sawed-off 20-gauge shotgun.
Johnny E. Tipton
Tipton is a convicted felon out of Hardin County.
His criminal history form Hardin includes a conviction August 23, 2005, for Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Manufacturing Chemicals for which he was sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections for four years and ordered to pay $2,767 in fines and fees, of which he still owes $173.
He was convicted in Hardin of a reduced felony-misdemeanor charge of Battery June 15, 2009 and sentenced to conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay $1,230 in fines and fees.
Tipton was arrested in Hardin on December 19, 2009 and charged with Armed Habitual Criminal and Unlawful Possession of Narcotics.
Both charges were later dismissed.
He was sentenced to probation for 30 months February 22, 2011 after he was convicted in Hardin of Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine.
He was also ordered to pay $4,585 in fines and fees, of which he still owes $2,055.
With the finding of that shotgun in Harrisburg, Tipton was taken into custody and charged with Armed Habitual Criminal and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
Cash bond in his case was set at $1,000.
Another Tipton
About four hours later another Tipton was taken into custody.
Police reports indicate that on the same date, Dec. 12, at approximately 7:26 p.m. Harrisburg officer Nick Keltner was dispatched to the city Walmart on a complaint of retail theft.
Once on scene Keltner spoke with loss prevention specialist Connor A. Pulliam who informed him that he observed Roy W. Tipton, 48, select several pairs of gloves off a shelf and put them into a cart.
He said he then watched as Tipton selected a coat off of a shelf and ripped the tag off of it.
He said he continued watching as Tipton selected a backpack and placed it in the cart.
Pulliam said that Tipton then went into the purse asle with his goods and placed the gloves and coat into the backpack and then walked out of the store without paying for anything.
Pulliam said he confronted Tipton and the men walked back into the store.
Keltner said he ran a check on Tipton and he came back as being wanted on a Kentucky arrest warrant on charged of Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Unlawful Production of Cannabis.
Tipton, of Rte. 2, Box2, Elizabethtown, was formally charged in Saline County with Retail Theft.
Cash bond in the case was set at $1,000.
Whether or not the two Tiptons and/or their arrests are related is unknown.