William Gilbert, 50, the owner of Hixson Haunted Hollow, has been arrested and charged with aggravated burglary and felony theft following an incident at his Hixson property.
On May 9, Chattanooga Police responded to a burglary call on Mill Road in Hixson. The victim, a tenant of Gilbert, reported that multiple outdoor and household tools had gone missing from their home. The missing items included shovels, rakes, a backpack blower, an 18v Milwaukee grinder, a drill, an impact wrench, a toolbox, and more. The total value of the stolen tools was estimated at $4,000.
The victim explained that after returning home from work on May 5, they discovered the items were missing and noticed damage to the doorframe of the shed, which had been partially repaired.
When the victim confronted Gilbert, he denied any wrongdoing, claiming that no theft had occurred. He explained that he had taken the tools and locked them in a semi-trailer on his property but refused to provide the key to the tenant. The victim offered to meet Gilbert at the storage unit and sent him a video of the interior, but Gilbert continued to refuse, accusing the tenant of harassment.
Despite several attempts by police to contact Gilbert and retrieve the stolen items, he failed to respond. With no tools returned and no communication from Gilbert, the victim chose to pursue legal action.
As a result, warrants were issued for Gilbert’s arrest, and he was subsequently detained and charged with aggravated burglary and felony theft.