STOLEN MOTORCYCLE RECOVERED IN NORTH CAROLINA 25 YEARS AFTER TENNESSEE HEIST
A motorcycle stolen from Blount County a quarter-century ago has been recovered across the state line in North Carolina, leading to a suspect’s arrest.
On September 2, Cherokee County deputies responded to a dollar store off Highway 129 following reports of a man spray-painting a motorcycle. Suspect Brian Hogan was found painting the bike red and claimed a friend let him test drive it.
Deputies discovered the vehicle identification number (VIN) had been ground off and the license plate belonged to an unrelated, expired vehicle.
With assistance from the North Carolina Highway Patrol License and Theft Bureau, investigators used specialized forensic techniques to uncover the bike’s original markers on September 8.
National databases confirmed the motorcycle—a 2001 Kawasaki ZX600—was reported stolen out of Maryville by the Blount County Sheriff’s Office on May 22, 2001.
On September 11, deputies located Hogan at a frequent residence and arrested him without incident. He is currently being held without bond at the Cherokee County Detention Center facing a charge of possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
Authorities have not yet announced whether the original East Tennessee owner has been notified.
