“Stolen” Equipment Case Solved

UPDATE:  It turns out the “stolen” equipment was never actually stolen; the would-be thief intended to sell it and then steal it. 

In a statement TODAY, Megan Foster, Executive Director, Yuba-Sutter Farm Bureau (YSFB), thanked Lt. Casner and the Sutter County Sheriff’s Department; YSFB membership and local media, including this blog, for getting the word out so swiftly; and everyone who called with tips.

“Because of the information the community provided,” Foster wrote, “deputies have been able to ascertain the following:

“The rice equipment was parked for sale in Live Oak off of Hwy 99 by a grower, and was not stolen,” said Foster. “Apparently the suspect in question, who might have been involved in a separate header theft, had taken photos of the parked chopper for potential buyers in Southern California. Once a buyer confirmed the desire to purchase, the suspect planned to steal a chopper, either those in Live Oak or somewhere else.”

Thankfully, it was an case of pending thievery–a crime waiting to happen–caught beforehand.