Trigg murder suspect arrested for felony theft

Claude Russell, the 41-year old Cadiz man accused in the 2002 rape and murder of Chantell Humphries in Trigg County, is back in jail after he was arrested Tuesday in Christian County for felony theft.

Deputies were called to Turner Loop a little before 2 p.m. for a possible burglary in progress and the reporting party said Russell was observed placing several metal objects in the bed of a truck. Russell ran from the scene on foot, but state troopers located him nearby and took him into custody.

The victim was able to identify the items in the back of Russell’s truck as the stolen property. Russell had reportedly taken a trailer hitch, a bumper to a tractor and other automotive parts with a combined value of about $2,000.

Russell was arrested and charged with felony theft by unlawful taking.

It’s not the first time he’s been arrested for theft while awaiting a second murder trial after the first ended with a mistrial. He was previously arrested for allegedly stealing items from City Salvage.