25-02-2025
Utility vehicles stolen from Nashville high school located with help of social media post
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Two utility vehicles used by a baseball team—a lawn mower and a gator— were recently stolen from a Nashville high school.
The booster-funded equipment, which totaled about $10,000 in value, was taken from James Lawson High School in Bellevue last Friday.
Thanks to a social media post made by the team's head coach, law enforcement was able to locate the suspected thief on Monday, Feb. 24.
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'We went to go look for the gator [an ATV vehicle], and it was gone,' said Coby Ginsberg, Lawson High's head baseball coach. 'We pulled the cameras, we saw that he came in, he left, and I asked our principal, I say, 'Hey give me that picture, I'm putting it on social media and letting it do its thing.''
Social media did in fact do its thing.
Within 24 hours, Ginsberg's Facebook post had nearly 400 shares. And in less than 72 hours, law enforcement found the suspect via an anonymous tip.
'They see you're stealing from schools, and it went nuts,' Ginsberg said about his post.'They wanted this guy's head, you know, and they wanted our stuff back. And they were going to figure it out. I had calls from people who were willing to let us borrow their equipment.'
'It restores faith in humanity a little bit,' Ginsberg continued. 'A lot of times, people get on social media and bicker. But now, this was a good thing, where everybody came together for a cause.'
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With school closed because of snow and the weekend, Ginsberg said they didn't know anything was missing until Sunday, which is when they showed up to work on the field.
Ginsberg believes the suspect must have been familiar with the school's campus in order to locate where their equipment was being held.
'Our parents, our players have all worked hard to get this equipment to help us take care of our field, and that's the most frustrating part: that he would steal from a school,' Ginsberg told News 2.
The suspect —identified as 44-year-old Clinton Watson— was arrested by the Dickson County Sheriff's Office at a home in White Bluff early Monday morning. He was charged with felony possession of stolen property and remains jailed on a $25,000 bond.
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According to the sheriff's office, the White Bluff residence has been a problem previously for other stolen items. In addition to the stolen items, deputies said they also uncovered 'several ounces of methamphetamine' in the home, leading to the arrests of two more individuals.
At approximately 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24, both stolen vehicles were reportedly returned to James Lawson High School.
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