Georgia’s Bureau of Investigation and the City of Denton Police Department announced the arrest of Michael Thomas Dusch, 29, of Moore County, North Carolina on March 11.
Denton Police said they initially arrested Dusch on March 6 at 9:45 a.m. while patrolling a parking lot in the 2700 block of West University Drive. The patrolling unit’s license plate reader flagged the RV he was in as potentially stolen.
Officers confirmed the vehicle was stolen out of North Carolina and contacted the registered owner, who said no one had permission to take the RV. Once officers detained Dusch, the only person in the RV, they confirmed that the vehicle’s owner did not know him and planned to press charges.
He was placed under arrest for unauthorized use of a vehicle. Officers later learned he also had 16 felony warrants for sexual exploitation of a minor out of North Carolina, according to Denton PD.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has since added more charges in their jurisdiction, including aggravated assault, aggravated battery, exploitation of elderly, false imprisonment, financial transaction card theft and identity fraud.
GBI’s investigation began on February 25, 2025 when Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office requested the Bureau investigate a death in Winterville, Georgia. The victim, identified as Davis J. Stewart, was found on a property on Double Bridges Road and taken in to the GBI Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy.
Dusch is currently being held in Denton County Jail with a surety bond set at $25,000.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with more information is encouraged to contact the GBI regional investigative office in Athens at 706-552-2309. Anonymous tips can also be sent in at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online here or in the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be sent to the Northern Judicial Circuit for prosecution.
