Teen Arrested After $150K Escalade Stolen from Stephens County Dealership

STEPHENS COUNTY, Ga. — A 17-year-old Grovetown resident is behind bars after deputies say he stole a high-end SUV from a local dealership and was tracked down in less than a day.

At approximately 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, deputies with the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a stolen vehicle from a local automobile dealership. The vehicle was identified as a 2023 Cadillac Escalade V that had been taken sometime Monday evening after business hours.

Investigators with the Criminal Investigations Division quickly took over the case. During the investigation, they identified the suspect as 17-year-old Justus Coakley of Grovetown. Authorities say Coakley had been communicating with the dealership about the vehicle since late January. After the dealership closed on Monday, February 2, he allegedly trespassed onto the lot and drove off in the Escalade.

Once investigators learned Coakley lived in Grovetown, they contacted the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office for assistance. Around 6 p.m. Tuesday, Columbia County deputies responded to Coakley’s residence. They spotted a similar Escalade parked in the driveway and interviewed family members while Stephens County investigators secured an arrest warrant.

Columbia County deputies received the warrant and took Coakley into custody without incident.

Just after midnight — around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 4 — deputies located the stolen Escalade in a nearby subdivision. The vehicle was seized and transported to the Columbia County impound lot. Investigators later confirmed it was the same SUV stolen from Stephens County.

Coakley was transported to the Stephens County Jail Wednesday afternoon. He is charged with Theft by Taking (Felony), Theft by Deception, and Criminal Trespass. He remains in custody pending a bond hearing before a Stephens County magistrate judge.

Sheriff Rusty Fulbright praised the quick turnaround, crediting strong investigative work and coordination between agencies for the swift arrest and recovery of the stolen vehicle.