Police Crack Theft Ring in Washington
In this article, you’ll learn:
- How an equipment theft ring operated in Washington.
- How the thief was caught stealing an excavator.
- How the arrest led to recovery of other pieces of equipment.
- Why knowingly buying stolen equipment is a crime.
By: Emily Fitzgerald
Source: The Chronicle, Centralia, Wash. (TNS)
Jun. 11—The Centralia Police Department is asking any community members who purchased heavy equipment from a man identified as a suspect in multiple heavy equipment thefts over the last seven years to come forward.
The suspect, identified by the Centralia Police Department and Lewis County Superior Court documents as Jonathan Delo, 45, of Winlock, is scheduled to face trial the week of Aug. 18 on three counts of first-degree theft and three counts of first-degree trafficking of stolen property.
As Delo’s trial date approaches, the Centralia Police Department released a photo of Delo alongside details about the investigation into Delo’s alleged crimes on Wednesday, with a request for any community members who have purchased equipment from Delo within the last seven years to contact detectives.
Delo is accused of stealing an excavator valued at approximately $95,000 from a worksite in the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia on Jan. 26, 2025, according to court documents and a Centralia Police Department news release.
A citizen reportedly flagged down an officer on Jan. 26 to report the excavator, which had been rented from another Lewis County business, had been stolen.
How security footage aided in arrest
Security footage from the worksite reportedly shows an unidentified male loading the excavator onto a flatbed trailer being towed by a dark-colored Ford pickup truck.
Additional security footage from a nearby business that detectives obtained on Feb. 3 reportedly shows the same Ford pickup towing a bright green flatbed toward the worksite the day of the theft. The footage also shows the pickup and trailer returning down the same route with the stolen excavator, according to the Centralia Police Department.
With the data from the security footage, officers were able to obtain the license plate information for the pickup and trailer.
Detectives with the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) then reportedly used that information to conduct surveillance at an address on Tennessee Road in Winlock that was associated with the trailer.
Detectives obtained a search warrant after seeing the trailer on the property.
On Feb. 2, detectives with the Centralia Police Department, JNET and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office executed the search warrant on the property. The pickup reportedly arrived at the property while detectives were present, but “immediately departed upon seeing police,” according to the Centralia Police Department.
According to the Centralia Police Department, “Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza intercepted and stopped the pickup in the 300 block of Tennessee Road.”
The driver of the pickup was then identified as Delo. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail.
Charges were filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Feb. 4.
When questioned, Delo allegedly admitted to stealing the excavator and “attempted to barter with detectives, offering to return the stolen excavator in lieu of being booked into the jail,” according to the Centralia Police Department.
A narcotics detection K9 reportedly located meth inside the pickup, according to the Centralia Police Department. Delo was not facing drug possession charges in Lewis County Superior Court as of Wednesday afternoon.
After Delo’s arrest, a Centralia Police Department detective was reportedly able to link Delo to “numerous other thefts,” including three other stolen excavators and a stolen trailer-mounted generator in Lewis County, a stolen Sunbelt trailer-mounted generator in Thurston County, a Wood-Mizer sawmill in Cowlitz County and a stolen excavator in Kennewick.
Co-conspirator charged
During the investigation, detectives also reportedly identified Brandon L. Moore, 49, of Brush Prairie, as a co-conspirator accused of purchasing known stolen heavy equipment from Delo in Clark County.
In coordination with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Detective Unit, JNET and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, Centralia detectives executed a search warrant on Moore’s property on April 15 and recovered several pieces of stolen equipment, including the generators stolen from Lewis and Thurston counties, an excavator stolen out of Kennewick and the stolen sawmill.
The Centralia Police Department thanked the Clark County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Detective Unit, JNET and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday for their assistance in the ongoing investigation.
Moore was arrested at the scene and was charged April 16 in Lewis County Superior Court with one count each of first-degree theft and first-degree trafficking of stolen property. His trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 13.
Moore is also facing additional charges in Clark County, according to the Centralia Police Department.
When questioned by detectives at the scene, Moore allegedly admitted to receiving known stolen equipment from Delo and selling or trading the equipment for profit, according to the Centralia Police Department.
At least one piece of equipment had been sold and another was traded for a fire truck and shipped to a recipient in Alaska, according to the Centralia Police Department.
What happened to the stolen equipment?
Since then, detectives have been working to track down and recover the stolen pieces of equipment.
“The total value of stolen property recovered during this investigation that was directly linked to Delo was approximately $615,000,” the Centralia Police Department stated in a news release. “Per the evidence obtained, Delo has been involved in the theft of heavy equipment for at least the past seven years.”
The Centralia Police Department urges anyone who has purchased any equipment from Delo within that timeframe to contact Detective King at 360.330.7680 “to verify its legitimacy.”
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