Three men arrested for stealing empty safe

In the early hours of Monday morning, police in Kingsport, Tennessee, received an anonymous tip that three men were flipping a safe across the parking lot of Model City Apartments. The tipster informed the officers the three men dragged the safe into apartment D-9. Officers responded and talked to Willard Harmon, 41, of apartment D-9. At the apartment the officers also spoke with Harmon's son, Dustin Hickman, 27, and another man, Dustin E. Stacy, 26, both from Kingsport.



Harmon reportedly invited officers inside his apartment where a large safe was observed to be sitting in the kitchen, in plain view. When asked about the safe, the three reportedly claimed they found the safe in an alleyway in downtown Kingsport. Further investigation revealed that the safe had allegedly been stolen from a warehouse. An inspection of the warehouse by KPD officers showed damage to a chain link fence, a window and some locks.

A trail of scratch marks showed officers where the safe had been dragged across the floor. The safe had allegedly been loaded onto the rear trunk lid of a vehicle, where it was transported back to Model City Apartments. At some point, the safe shattered the rear window of the vehicle and reportedly fell on Stacy's foot. Though the safe itself was valued at more than $500, when opened by the police, it turned out to be empty.


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If things were not bad enough, while officers were inside the apartment, a live military smoke grenade was observed. After some questioning, Hickman stated the grenade was his because he liked to collect war memorabilia. When asked where he had obtained it, he reportedly told officers he got if from "some kid" at the Kingsport Skate Park. The grenade was taken by a member of the KPD explosive Ordanance Disposal Unit and transported to a safe storage facility. Harmon and Hickman were both arrested and charged with burglary, theft over $500 and possession of a prohibited weapon. Stacy was arrested and charged with burglary and theft over $500.