ASHLAND CITY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Proactive policing by Ashland City law enforcement last month led to the arrests of two alleged auto burglars who have a long history of breaking the law.
The incident happened at the Hickory Hills Condos along Highway 12. At approximately 3:51 a.m. on Dec. 18, 2024, police got a call from someone who said she saw a tall man wearing a security jacket or shirt and tugging on vehicle door handles.
When the Ashland City Police Department (ACPD) arrived, the white SUV and man were gone. Officers flooded the area and, a short time later, spotted the SUV exiting another complex.
Authorities said the car sped away, going 74 mph in a 55 mph zone, so they pulled the vehicle over. Body camera footage reveals what happened next.
“There’s also marijuana in the vehicle,” an officer said.
“You smell it?” the driver asked. “It ain’t-“
“Yeah, I smell it,” the officer replied.
The man behind the wheel was Marquis Neal. The 40-year-old told officers he was speeding because his mother was in the hospital. When asked what hospital, he said Vanderbilt, but then he said it might be another hospital.
“I pulled you over because you were speeding,” the officer said.
“I’m trying to hurry up to get to my momma at the hospital,” Neal responded.
The man in the passenger seat was Joshua Caruthers, 31.
Police said Caruthers had a drug pipe by his feet and one on his person. He was also wearing a security shirt, but he told law enforcement he was a security officer in Nashville.
Authorities talked amongst themselves and said the white SUV and auto burglary suspect wearing a security shirt were great clues.
“That description of that shirt, you can’t miss that,” an officer said.
Later on, the Ashland City officer pressed the suspect about where he worked. Caruthers said a Mexican bar.
When asked about the security shirt, ACPD Sgt. Alexis Duncan told News 2, “Those are easy to get. You can buy them off Amazon or anywhere. He said he was a security officer in Nashville somewhere. We’re not sure if that’s accurate or not. He could have been wearing it to make people feel a little bit better that he was a security officer of the complex.”
During the arrest, Neal became agitated when he found out he was going to jail and needed to relinquish his cell phone upon being handcuffed.
“Don’t touch my phone! I’ve been through this a million times, bro!” Neal exclaimed.
According to the Tennessee Department of Correction, Neal went to prison in 2016 and was on parole from 2020 until his sentence expired in 2023. His arrest history in Nashville over the course of more than 20 years is littered with felonies, including aggravated robbery.
When officers searched the car, they found eight stolen payroll checks, another person’s ID, a bank card, and some stereo equipment.
“Just a lot of red flags…just great police work on continuing to search the area and other apartment complexes and putting two and two together whenever they made the stop,” Duncan said.
Both men have made bond after being charged with multiple counts of auto burglary. In addition, Neal is charged with driving on a suspended license and Caruthers is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
