Suspect Arrested After Claiming He Purchased Stolen John Deere Backhoe at the Zippy Mart
- June 15, 2012
- recovery stories
On May 21, 2012, the owner of a 2003 John Deere backhoe reported the equipment stolen to the Richland County Sheriff’s Office.
After completing a theft report, Richland County officers had the backhoe’s information entered into the state and federal crime computer systems. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the equipment, triggering it to begin emitting a silent homing signal. Neither the owner nor law enforcement agents had to take any further action to initiate the LoJack tracking system, as LoJack’s interface with the police is both seamless and instantaneous.
Moments later, an officer with the Richland County Sheriff’s Office began to receive the backhoe’s homing signal on the LoJack Police Tracking Computer (PTC) installed in his patrol car. By following the directional cues on the PTC, the officer tracked the John Deere to a private residence, where the backhoe was parked behind a six-foot privacy fence. The resident of the house was questioned about the theft and claimed that he “bought the tractor from a man at the Zippy Mart up the street yesterday.” He did not know the man and couldn’t remember his name or what he was driving. He also stated he paid cash and did not get a receipt. The subject was arrested and the investigation is continuing.