Deputy finds stolen truck in rural ditch

Two teenage boys are in police custody and awaiting charges of burglary, felony theft, motor vehicle theft and felony criminal damage to property in a case that began with a sheriff’s deputy finding an Almco truck in a ditch.

According to a Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office news release, the dispatchers received a report at about 5:40 a.m. Saturday of a vehicle in the ditch on 245th Street northeast of Bancroft. The caller said there were two people by the vehicle. A deputy observed an orange and silver flatbed pickup in the ditch. A vehicle license check showed the owner of the pickup was Almco Inc. of Albert Lea.

An officer from the Albert Lea Police Department overheard the radio traffic and contacted a manager from Almco to determine the status of the vehicle. It was determined that the vehicle was being used without permission.

The deputy observed a vehicle approaching the scene, then speeding away after the occupants had reportedly noticed the deputy. The deputy stopped the vehicle and through questions linked the two juvenile occupants to the pickup in the ditch.

Officers from the Albert Lea Police Department went to the Almco building at 800 E. Main St. An officer discovered a broken window on the building and indications the building had been entered. Upon entry into the building, the officer found computers that had been destroyed. There had been indications of attempts to enter vending machines. Almco employees later determined at least three laptop computers were missing from the firm. Other windows in the building were listed as broken and fire extinguishers had been set off inside the building.

The police report lists the value of the stolen vehicle at $15,000. It lists $4,500 in missing property and approximately $6,500 in damaged property. The last amount may rise as more damaged property is discovered.