BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

LOVELY — A report of a wrecked Jeep led Martin County law enforcement straight to a stolen vehicle Monday.

The man behind the wheel, David Joshua Brown, 39, of Lovely, now faces a list of charges.

Police arrested Brown on North Wolf Creek Road, where a Jeep had rolled off a hillside. When law enforcement arrived, Brown was trying to pull the vehicle back up.

But something did not add up, authorities said. The Jeep’s dashboard VIN appeared to be missing.

Upon closer inspection, deputies discovered the VIN had been painted over. They scraped it clean, uncovering a VIN that came back as a match for a Jeep reported stolen in Pilgrim.

The vehicle, originally orange, had been repainted black and blue.

Brown allegedly told deputies he bought the Jeep on Facebook Marketplace.

During the investigation, officers discovered Brown had seven Klonopin pills in a plastic baggie inside his pocket.

Brown faces charges of receiving stolen property, selling or receiving a vehicle with a removed or altered VIN, and prescription controlled substance not in proper container.

Deputies Steven Putman and J.C. Kirk of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and Constable Bradford Preece worked the case.