We caught one

[Jimbrown]

BISBEE — The owner of a local car dealership has been indicted by a Cochise County grand jury on charges that he knowingly possessed a stolen tractor.

According to the indictment returned March 15, Wellington “Beau” Johnston, 33, owner of the Ideal Automotive Group dealership in Sierra Vista, knowingly controlled a stolen 2004 John Deere tractor/excavator belonging to AMS Construction. Johnston was arraigned on the Class 2 felony charge Monday in Superior Court and had a trial date set for Aug. 31.

According to court documents, Sierra Vista police officers found the tractor at Johnston’s Suma Drive residence on Jan. 5, approximately two weeks after it was reported stolen from a local construction site.

Johnston reportedly told investigators that he purchased the tractor for $5,000 from two men, one of whom was later identified as Charles Ugalde, 28, of Sierra Vista.

Ugalde was indicted in February in on charges of theft and theft of a means of transport. He reportedly told police that he bought the tractor for $3,000 from a Tucson man he knew only as Hector.

Ugalde’s trial is scheduled for June 11.

 

[Harvey7]

Glad to hear he was caught before some honest bugger bought this machine and ended up losing the machine and money.

 

[jmc]

What do you guys do with rustlers in Tombstone these days?

John

 

[Jimbrown]

Well we still take it serious.

Carol Broeder

Arizona Range News

Cattle rustling may seem to be a thing of the past, but last week's indictment of a Willcox-area resident indicates the crime exists, even in this modern age. On Dec. 28, a Cochise County grand jury handed down a six-count indictment against local business owner Larry Hubbard in a case involving four head of stolen cattle.

Cameron Udall, deputy county attorney, said last Thursday "it is really unusual to get a cattle rustling case."

Hubbard was indicted on one count each of branding a black yearling bull and a red yearling bull that belongs to Doug Kuhn of Willcox. Both are Class 4 felonies, Udall said.

Hubbard was also indicted on two counts each of attempting to sell the livestock before running a DNA test, and controlling the property of another, namely a black bull calf, a black heifer calf, a black yearling bull, a red yearling bull, and a pregnant black cow, valued at more than $4,000 but less than $25,000, Udall said.

There is also one count of shipping livestock without inspection, which is a Class 3 misdemeanor, she said.

 

[ducati996]

For a second I thought you still hung them by the neck or tossed them to the Vigilante crowds

 

[Jimbrown]

Only if they are from New York City.