MATTAWA – In a major recovery effort earlier this week, Grant County Sheriff’s deputies located a stolen backhoe believed to have made an incredible 250-mile journey from Bend, Ore., to Mattawa, Washington by his own power.
The discovery was made Sunday when a deputy, working in the southern part of the county, noticed the 2020 John Deere 410L backhoe on a property in the 30000 block of State Route 243 South near Mattawa. The machinery immediately raised suspicions as it looked conspicuously out of place compared to other items and vehicles on the premises, further highlighted by two broken windows.
Upon hiring the property owner, it quickly became apparent that the backhoe did not belong there. Further investigation revealed that the machinery had been reported stolen on February 9th from a construction site near Bend, Oregon. The breakthrough came when the rightful owner of the backhoe reviewed GPS tracking data, which showed the equipment moving at approximately 25 miles per hour (the backhoe’s top speed) from Bend to the its location near Mattawa.
Given the backhoe’s hefty 30,000-pound weight and the owner’s lack of means to tow that load, deputies assumed the only plausible explanation for its presence was a daring 250-mile trek across state lines. The trip would have taken about 10 hours to complete, assuming non-stop travel at the backhoe’s top speed.
The property owner was unable to provide a credible explanation for how the backhoe ended up on his land, leaving many unanswered questions.
Valued at $160,000, the backhoe has been recovered from its rightful owner. Meanwhile, Grant County Sheriff’s deputies continue their investigation into the robbery and the unusual interstate odyssey.
