Trail of mud tracks lead to stolen property

Two Cedartown Polk County residents were arrested after a trail of mud led officers to items stolen from a neighbor, according to Polk County Police Department reports.

Donald Nichols, 51, of 1816 Cave Spring Road, Cedartown, was arrested and charged with burglary and theft by taking. He remains in the Polk County Jail.

Eric Acker was, 44, also of 1816 Cave Spring Road, Cedartown, was arrested on an outstanding warrant. He also remains in the Polk County Jail.

Officers were called out to a home on Cave Spring Road at 7:16 p.m. on July 23 after an argument over stolen property grew heated.

Police saw a resident wielding an axe when they arrived. The man put the axe down upon police commands and told officers that neighbor Donald Nichols stole several items from his house and truck - the latest being a push mower.

Nichols denied the allegations and said the neighbor’s wife slapped him in the face.

That’s when police noticed red mud covering his shoes and pants. Officers saw a Honda push mower with red mud all over it in the back of the truck Nichol’s was driving. They spotted red mud at the victim’s home and a trail of tracks from the tires of the mower to the Nichol’s residence, along with shoe impres- sions. The impressions matched Nichol’s shoes, reports said.

Nichols continued to deny allegations and said another man at the residence, Acker, was smoking methamphetamine all night and stole the items.

Detectives got a search warrant and searched Nichol’s home where they recovered several stolen items. The items were returned to the victim, reports said.