AUSTIN CO. SHERIFF INVESTIGATING THEFT OF COUNTY EQUIPMENT

  

The Austin County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating the theft of several pieces of equipment from a county building.

Saturday, at about 10 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding a theft at the Austin County Precinct Two building near New Ulm.  Deputies met with Precinct Two Commissioner Bobby Rinn, who said he noticed a tractor battery missing from the county equipment.

Upon further investigation and reviewing on-site video, Rinn discovered the battery, a battery charger, and two new tires were taken.

The video showed the suspect was on site from about 2:10 a.m. until 4:47 a.m. when the camera at the gate was knocked offline and also taken.

From the video, the suspect appeared to be a white male wearing a cowboy hat with a bandana covering his face.  The suspect’s vehicle is described as a 94-02 white, single-cab Dodge dually hauling a cattle trailer.

The truck had a black front bumper, a two-tone door—white on top and gray on bottom—and an external fuel tank in the bed.  The trailer was a black dual axle trailer with the front axle wheel on the driver side missing a hubcap.  Additionally, the trailer may have had two large diesel tanks inside.

Commissioner Rinn has not yet confirmed whether any diesel was stolen from the Precinct Two shop.

The case remains under investigation.