A traffic stop leads deputies to a multi-county trailer theft ring and tens of thousands of dollars worth stolen construction equipment. The thefts span from Norfolk to Omaha and several places in between.
The Stanton County Sheriff says they arrested Matthew J. Robinson, 40, on Tuesday near Pilger with drugs, a gun, and numerous stolen trailer plates. He’s now facing multiple felonies in a couple of Eastern Nebraska counties.
With the help of Stanton County, Dodge County Investigators track down 4 stolen trailers in Fremont and Omaha and upwards of $100,000 of construction tools in Fremont. Investigators have identified the owners of a lot of the stolen equipment but these are still un-claimed.
“Most of it looks like construction equipment, large generators, surveying equipment, chop saws, skill saws, and a lot of types of tools used for construction sites. We believe that there’s more that we’ll probably recover as well,” said Inv. Craig Harbaugh with the Dodge Co. Sheriff’s Office.
The Stanton County Sheriff believes Robinson stole at least 10 trailers from Douglas, Dodge, Pierce, and Cuming counties.
Matt Arps had his trailer was stolen about 3 weeks ago, and had it returned this week. He wanted to thank law enforcement for their hard work.
"Relieved that they got to him first. Yeah I was pretty happy to get a phone call from the sheriff's department that early in the morning,” Arps explained. "I hope he goes away for a long time."
If you believe any of the items are yours contact the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office at (402)-727-2700.
