A 49 year old Centre man – Russell Rhodes Maxwell – turned himself in at the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday afternoon.

According to Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver – over the past few weeks, his office received several complaints and information, through their anonymous tip-line – regarding possible stolen vehicles at property located on County Road 18.

Surveillance soon confirmed that suspicious activity – and when officers went to the residence to question the homeowner they heard someone flee into a wooded area behind the property; during that time investigators noticed a number of all-terrain vehicles about the area, some of which had been dismantled, and showed signs of possible tampering – which would indicate that the ATV’s had been stolen.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s property and during the execution of the warrant, they discovered that the vehicle identification numbers had been removed from three of the ATV’s. 

The National Insurance Crime Bureau later confirmed that the ATV’s had been taken stolen from locations in north Alabama and north Georgia.

At that point – warrants were issued for Russell Rhodes Maxwell – who stands charged with two counts of Receiving Stolen Property 1st Degree and with four counts of Obscuring the Identity of a Vehicle.

Maxwell remains in the Cherokee County Detention Center.

Sheriff Jeff Shaver expresses his appreciation to all those officers involved in that investigation – including the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office Air Unit, the Cherokee County Narcotics Unit, and the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Unit.

He would also especially like to thank, the concerned citizens who provided information through the tip-line.

If you have any information regarding criminal activity in your community – call the anonymous tip-line at (256) 927-9999, or e-mail the sheriff through the website cherokeecountyalsheriff.com