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Charles R. Kelley, Wanted For Murder In Tennessee, Arrested After Hitchhiking To New Jersey

First Posted: 09/23/12 10:03 AM ET Updated: 09/24/12 10:55 AM ET

When Manuel Velasco offered a hitchhiker a lift in his truck, he never guessed he'd be moving such dangerous cargo.

On Thursday night, Velasco learned -- after a multi-state journey -- that the man he drove from the south to New York City was wanted in Tennessee for murder, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports.

Authorities arrested Charles R. Kelley, 52, when Velasco allegedly attempted to bypass a toll on his way over the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan.

Kelley met Velasco one week ago at a gas station off of Interstate 81 in Tennessee, according to the Associated Press.

Kelley is charged with the May 21 murder of Johnny Arwood, 47, found dead on his living room couch, according to the News Sentinel. Kelley is also wanted for forgery and theft.

The Long Island truck driver said Kelley was a perfectly kind guest. He even took him on deliveries and to his home

"I'm not mad at him," Velasco told the New York Daily News. "He was always respectful. He didn't even change the radio."

 
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LibertyDeathWatch
A proggie mind is a foggy mind.
04:35 AM on 10/01/2012
Attempted to bypass a toll? THIEF! It's his patriotic duty to pay as much money as he can to the state!
/sarcasm
01:20 AM on 10/01/2012
Tolls are a form of legalized extortion, which is also theft, just like auto insurance is a form of legalized extortion based upon the idea that you are a questionable person, guilty of a lack of concern, but, their doing it for your own good, because, you never know about people.
10:11 PM on 09/28/2012
It is quite odd that some murderers appear to be so POLITE!
11:38 PM on 09/27/2012
If you knew anything about how exorbitant the tolls are in and around NYC, you would perfectly understand anyone attempting a bypass through a garage or parking lot... Get real, if you saw a way to avoid paying the turnpike toll and you didn't think there were any cops around, you would take it ... HANDS DOWN. That is human nature... and does NOT preclude questionable ethics!
03:04 PM on 09/28/2012
Human nature and ethics are two different things. I think a strong argument can be made that avoiding tolls is a form of theft. So what you're saying is that it's human nature to steal if there were no cops around and no likelihood of being caught. But not everybody is going around stealing when the opportunity presents itself. That's where ethics come in.
06:47 PM on 09/30/2012
wenpow; You just set off the, Stupid Alarm, you exceeded the load limit. Geez. that could be a, Gracy Allen routine. We reset the alarm and schabj333 set it off again. Read the friggin article first and comment second.
12:52 PM on 09/27/2012
The driver "attempted to bypass a toll on his way over the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan."

Sounds like questionable ethics to me.
10:53 PM on 09/30/2012
Its over $80 dollars for a truck to cross the GWB. each way. You'd by-pass it to if you had to pay that all the time
10:58 PM on 09/30/2012
It's between $45 and $65 to cross the GWB each way in a 5 axle truck. You'd by-pass it to if you could.
12:53 PM on 09/25/2012
I suppose it's not surprising that the driver, with questionable ethics himself, thinks a murderer is fit company.
03:44 AM on 09/26/2012
@nos4atu
Please read the following statement copied from the article:
"When Manuel Velasco offered a hitchhiker a lift in his truck, he never guessed he'd be moving such dangerous cargo."
08:11 AM on 09/27/2012
Where did you read that the truck driver had "questionable ethics"? You are showing questionable ethics by judging the driver with prejudice ( I assume you came to your conclusion after you saw the driver's name - that's the only explanation). You ought to be ashamed of yourself !!!
01:31 PM on 09/27/2012
it's because the article said " when Velasco allegedly attempted to bypass a toll on his way over the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan"