Manassas Man, Accomplice Arrested for Metal Theft

A Manassas man was arrested Thursday after police said the story behind a pile of scrap metal he was towing, just didn't add up, according to Spotsylvania County Sheriff's deputy reports.

Paul Edward Purdue, 37,  and Woodford resident James Ross Kiger, 41, were arrested and charged with grand larceny, conspiracy to commit larceny, and possession of burglarious tools.

It happened at 3 a.m. Thursday when Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Deputy J. Greene stopped a truck towing a defective and unlicensed trailer on Jefferson Davis Highway.  The trailer didn't have lights or a state registration and was full of scrap metal, according to sheriff's office reports.

The office questioned both men about the trailers contents and receiving several conflicting stories.  After separating the driver and passenger, one of the two came clean and told the deputy that they had just stolen the metal from a job site behind the Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center.

They also said that they had done this a time or two before.

Deputies later discovered the trailer was stolen from Manassas.

In addition to other charges, Perdue is also charged with driving with a revoked licenses  and defective equipment. Perdue remains in custody at the local jail under a $3,500 bond. Kiger also remains in custody under a $3,000 bond.