October 23, 2024

A Clinton man was recently arrested and charged with grand larceny after allegedly stealing a lawnmower.

According to a probable cause affidavit, 47-year-old Ricardo Vela was arrested on October 8 and charged with the felony in Custer County District Court following an investigation into the alleged crime that Clinton police had been investigating since late June.

The court document states that police responded to a report of found property on June 30. A man reported that a friend had seen his missing lawnmower, which had been gone since June 27, at a house. The man then drove to the house to confirm this and called the police.

The affidavit explains that the man provided the officer with a picture of the serial number, which allegedly matched the number on the lawnmower found at the house. The officer asked the dispatcher to run the serial number, which returned a hit on the National Crime Information Center.

The officer spoke with the homeowner, who stated that he had bought the mower for $280 from someone in the 1100 block of Modelle Avenue.

On July 1, the officer arrived at another house and requested to view camera footage. According to the report, the officer observed a male subject riding a red lawnmower.

The officer allegedly made contact with Vela and, while speaking with him, noticed that Vela was wearing clothing similar to what the suspect in the footage had worn.

It is alleged that when the officer asked Vela about the lawnmower, Vela claimed he did not know anything about it. When the officer told Vela that he was on video taking the mower, Vela allegedly denied the accusation.

According to the report, the officer attempted to revisit Vela an hour later, but Vela was not there. A warrant for Vela’s arrest was issued on September 25, as the lawnmower was originally valued at $4,250. Vela was arrested on October 8.