ETOWAH COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — Justin van Misso, a 43-year-old man from Ashville, Alabama, was arrested on December 7th following a reported assault in the Ivalee Community. The assault incident led to charges of second-degree assault, first-degree theft of property, and second-degree theft of property.
Officers arrived at the scene to find the victim with severe injuries to the head, face, and neck. The victim identified van Misso as the assailant, claiming that his vehicle and gun were stolen by him during the incident. The victim was airlifted to UAB Medical Center for urgent treatment.
In addition to the assault charge, the arrest documents linked van Misso to over 273 individual thefts, primarily in Texas but also involving incidents in Oklahoma, Florida, and Pennsylvania. The thefts included incidents in cities like Tyler, Longview, Kilgore, and Gun Barrel City in East Texas.
Van Misso was taken into custody and his bond was set at $60,000. Further investigations are likely to unfold as authorities continue to connect him to the thefts across multiple states.