LoJack Helps Recover Stolen Bobcat Skid Steer and Seizure of 1000lbs of Marijuana, Guns and Meth
- June 11, 2013
On June 5th, the owner of a 2010 Melroe Bobcat Skid Steer contacted the Orange Police Department to report that their skid steer had been stolen. A theft report was completed and the skid steer’s information was entered into the federal and state crime computers. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the skid steer.
Within an hour Air-24 deputies with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Bobcat skid steer and began tracking it into the city of Compton, California. They tracked it to a junk salvage yard that had numerous containers, trailers and car parts. They were able to see the skid steer in the yard bearing the equipment rental companies logo and alerted deputies at the Compton Station. Deputies arrived and could easily see the skid steer as well as several individuals who were on the property. The individuals were detained and at the same time the Air-24 deputies radioed that they were observing several other individuals running and hiding under vehicles. The deputies began a sweep of the yard and located four more individuals in a shed as well as several large bundles of what appeared to be Marijuana in plain sight. The Air-24 deputies radioed again that another individual was seen hiding under some brush in the corner of the lot. The deputies located the individual in the brush and found another suspect inside a homemade bunker. Both were taken into custody. Inside the bunker deputies found a loaded .44 caliber hand gun, several shot guns, methamphetamine and a total of 49 large bundles of what appeared to be Marijuana. Deputies estimated the weight of the bundles to be 600lbs. The suspect found in the bunker admitted he had purchased the stolen Bobcat skid steer for $2,000 and had also stolen a van that had the Marijuana inside it.
All evidence was seized under a search warrant. This suspect was booked on four felony charges including ex-felon in possession of a firearm, possession of marijuana for resale and receiving stolen property. All other suspects were identified and released at the scene as they were not determined to be involved.
Equipment value of this recovery is estimated at $30,000