Tuesday, June 30, 2015
ODDLY ENOUGH
Sheriff’s office says suspect in break-in left wallet behind
LINCOLNTON, N.C.
Deputy sheriffs in North Carolina had little trouble identifying a break-in suspect whose wallet and ID were left at the scene.
The Charlotte Observer reported that Lincoln County authorities charged 25-year-old Joshua Ray Murphy of High Shoals with two felony counts of breaking and entering a building and one felony count each of larceny after breaking and entering, and possession of stolen goods. He was jailed on $30,000 bail, and it’s not known if he has an attorney.
Investigators say the suspect was startled by a homeowner in a wheelchair June 22. According to investigators, as the suspect ran, he snagged his bag on a door and it ripped, spilling Murphy’s personal property a short distance away.
Murphy was accused of entering another home, where a homeowner confronted him as well.
Big tractor stolen from job site is found in church parking lot
SALT LAKE CITY
A large tractor stolen from a Utah construction site was found abandoned at a Mormon church, apparently after the thieves took it on a ride through Salt Lake City’s suburbs, officials said last week.
The Komatsu PT250-5 front-end loader valued at $130,000 disappeared from West Haven early last week.
Weber County Sheriff’s Lt. Lane Findlay said officials don’t know how such a large piece of construction equipment could be stolen and driven without keys.
“This one is a little more unusual because it’s such a big piece of machinery,” Findlay said.
It was recovered Wednesday when police got a call from a maintenance worker at a Mormon church in Ogden, about seven miles from the construction site.
“It’ll be interesting to see who is responsible for it. They obviously started feeling a little bit of heat, abandoning it,” Findlay said.
It was reported last Tuesday to be parked in the driveway of a home about six miles east in Ogden, a little more than a mile from the church.
The sheriff’s office had posted a missing-vehicle alert on its Facebook page and a tipster had shared a photo with police of the scene along the shady, residential street. The yellow tractor’s large scoop was on the front and the vehicle stood nearly as tall as the neat row of houses. It was no longer parked there when detectives went to find it.
Crime scene investigators have processed the machine, typically used to move dirt or debris, for evidence and fingerprints. The tractor was not damaged and has been returned to its owner.
Findlay said detectives were pursuing a person connected to the Ogden house where it was seen.
Associated Press