String of thefts at campsites ends in arrest of Marion woman

McDowell County Sheriff's Office -- An arrest was made in thefts that occurred in August 2018. Below is the information on the arrest on the sheriff's office facebook.

Detective Van Williams and Lt. Andy Manis of the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office charged Martha Elizabeth “Marty” Fender, 48, of 24 Byrds Mobile Home Park in Marion, with eight counts of larceny and one count of possession of stolen goods.
Lt. Chris Taylor charged her with possession of methamphetamine.
The charges against Fender are in connection with a string of thefts at Burnette’s Landing from mid- to late August.
Eight victims reported that someone entered their camping sites at Burnette’s and stole thousands of dollars’ worth of items, including chairs, power cords, camping equipment, sports equipment, camper batteries, patio furniture, decorations, a metal fire pit, ladders, a paddle boat and a trailer to haul personal watercraft.
Fender was linked to the cases after she attempted to sell some of the stolen items on Facebook Marketplace. Detectives went to Fender’s residence, where they recovered some of the stolen property and also located 3 grams of methamphetamine.

Address/Location
McDowell County Sheriff's Office
593 Spaulding Rd
Marion, NC 28752

Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 828-652-2235

Richelle Bailey
McDowell County Sheriff's Office
rbailey@mcdowellsheriff.org
828-652-2235

*Editor's note: A criminal charge is an accusation, by law, a person accused of a crime is innocent until proven in a court of law.