ATHENS, Maine — Two adults and a juvenile have been charged by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of used metal truck parts and tire chains last week from Horse Logging Co., located on Main Street, according to a release from Det. Lt. Carl E. Gottardi.
Charged with Class C theft were Benjamin Polion, 19, of Norridgewock, a 17-year-old juvenile male, also of Norridgewock, and Dustin Marcue, 18, of Norridgewock, who also was arrested on a probation violation, Gottardi said.
The theft of used truck axles, gears, gear boxes, hydraulic pumps and chains was reported July 26, and the metal was sold to Kennebec Metals, a scrap yard in Skowhegan, Gottardi said in the release, adding most had already been crushed and sent out.
Information obtained from Kennebec Metals led investigating officer Joseph Jackson, deputy sheriff, to Polion, Marcue and the juvenile.
Further charges may be pending..
So why isn’t the metal yard given a summons for receiving stolen property ? You can’t tell me that two kids waltz in with that much metal and they don’t know it’s stolen. I’m sure it was all crushed up already…gotta get your monies worth before the cops catch on. These scrap yards are just as guilty and as long as they turn it over quick they don’t even have to give the stolen property back when it’s found out…as long as every one gets there cut no one gives a care about the poor company that lost all their property. Fine them, they won’t pay it, restitution, they won’t pay it, will just serve the time and get away with it. The deep pockets are at the metal yard, if they were held more accountable like pawn shops then maybe they would stop taking stuff no questions asked. Then when the police come around they can say, well we had a couple of guys in here trying to sell stuff like that last night and then help ID them, instead of oh sorry it’s all crushed and sold.
Before you post lengthy comments about how things should be done and what people are doing wrong you should doa little research. To sell scrap at kennebec scrap you need to have a state I.D. And you are given check . Scrap yards are not part of the problem. Get a clue.
Oh I have a clue, a clue that two young guys come in with all that scrap and no questions will be asked…I know about photo ID, big deal. They are a part of the problem and I don’t care who or where you sell your scrap. Have you ever been asked even a few probing questions ? Like where did it come from ? How did you get it ? If someone is a thief a person with something to lose will be suspect of answers they give and send them on their way. Maybe if they had a few days turn over before it could be scraped people could come and claim the stolen property and the scrap yard would lose out. Bet they would be a little more careful about who they take it from. Try going on vacation some time and have these jokers come and cut all your pipes while you are away…you would get a clue then.
I’m with ya that it is a problem that needs fixing, but none of your copper had a name, address, nor serial number to identify them, so waiting a day or two would not help you get them back. It is hard for the scrap yards to hold things suspect, I would think. A car, lawn mower, something with an identifying mark, sure, but wire and drive shafts, I would think it would be costly to investigate. A scrap yard would stand still if it had to track every piece of iron and copper….
Right, but there again, how many people just show up with about 30 ft. of cut up copper ? I think a little questioning would go a long way. You wont catch them all, that is a given, but I bet if you had to answer a few questions it would change. Like, where did you get it ? Oh, your a contractor ? Were abouts is the house you are salvaging this from ? Is it a permitted salvage ? So the town would know about this if I just check with them ?
On and on…it would not take much. No money in that though.
Scrap yards are not part of the problem just as pawn shops play no role in moving stolen goods. Do you honestly believe that? If they were unable to sell this metal, you think these guys would be out stealing axles and gear boxes?
The scrap yards and their lack of oversight constitute as big a part of the problem as the rats who sell them stolen metal.
Try selling metal at kennebec scrap. You must show a state I.D. that is photocopied and kept on file. You are issued a check and not given cash. You will find that information given to the S/O by the scrap yard was vital information that led to the arrests. Get a clue.
squaaaak get a clue get a clue squaaaaak
How do you crush axels, chains and gears?
(sarcasm intended)
With my bare hands……
Let my wife drive it.
Alright, you guys got me to laugh…sigh, done being irritated by stupid criminals now. We need more people like you guys around here I think.
why would you blame a scrap yard? it appears to me the slime ball’s deserve all the blame. when these thieves are caught red handed they should have to do restitution and their penalty. maybe losing a hand or a few favorite fingers would help discourage future violations. it’s really quite simple.
Oh, I do not excuse the scum that steals it by a long shot. Like I said, you can order all the restitution you want, can’t squeeze money from a jobless criminal. If any of these people had a mind to work for a living they wouldn’t be out stealing metal. Slim to none even a fine will ever be paid. A warrant will be issued, they will bail out again, not go to court again, warrant will be issued…. It’s a win/ win for a thief.
Some metal yards are better about that than others. One Steel in Bangor for instance has really cracked down on stuff like that. Common sense is what is lacking, as someone who personally knows a couple people in the business, these guys lose money when they buy stolen items. Some places do hold on to suspicious material, some don’t. Should there be sanctions and laws about how long they need to hold scrap before processing it? Probably, will it happen in the near future? Probably not. The real problem is the economy and our awesome libtard president that goes around and says stupid things like ”Private sector is doing fine!”… The fact is that the private sector is NOT doing fine. Lastly, one of the kids was 17 and the other two were 18… You mean to tell me an adult didn’t see what the hell was going on before it went on? I find that one as hard to swallow as the private sector doing fine..,