Stolen John Deere Backhoe Found Inside Barn by Law Enforcement Air Unit
- January 9, 2012
After a rental company’s John Deere backhoe was stolen off of a job site near Perkins, Oklahoma, a theft report was filed with the Payne County Sheriff’s Department. A complete description of the equipment and serial/pin number was entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the backhoe.
While flying in Garfield County, near Covington, Oklahoma, a pilot with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s Air Unit Troop O picked up the homing signal being broadcast from the stolen backhoe’s LoJack System. Using the onboard LoJack Police Tracking Computer, the pilot was able to zero in on a farm just west of Highway 74.
Once the Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s ground units were notified, a trooper from Troop J also picked up the signal and tracked it to the same location. Subsequent investigation revealed the stolen backhoe was concealed in a barn on this property.
Note: Portions of this story were obtained from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol
