Sheriff’s deputies in Washington say they found a backhoe, which was stolen from a construction site near Bend, on a property near Mattawa, Washington. GPS tracking shows the construction vehicle traveled 250 miles from state to state.
On Sunday, Grant County Sheriff’s deputies say they noticed the 2020 John Deere 410L on property in the 30000 block of State Route 243 South near Mattawa.
The owner was questioned about the backhoe, which was visibly out of place compared to other materials and vehicles on the property, officers said.
Deputies say through their investigation they learned the backhoe was stolen on Feb. 9 from a construction site in the Bend area.
The backhoe, valued at $160,000, had two broken windows. It was picked up by its legal owner, deputies said.
The sheriff’s office said the owner of the backhoe was able to review GPS tracking of the equipment that showed GPS pings traveling at about 25 miles per hour, about the backhoe’s top speed, from where it went being stolen near Bend to where it was discovered near Mattawa. .
Since the property owner doesn’t have access to anything that can tow the 30,000 pound backhoe, one of the few conclusions is that it was driven on the roads for the entire 250 mile trip, making for a 10 hour trip, the sheriff the office stated in its Facebook post.
The property owner did not provide a verifiable explanation for how the backhoe arrived, the sheriff’s office said, and deputies continue to investigate.
