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SALT LAKE CITY — Two men suspected of stealing large pieces of equipment from construction sites and selling them at well-below market value have been arrested by Salt Lake police.
On Tuesday, an undercover officer arranged to buy a skid-steer front loader from the men and then arrested the pair. The skid-steer was stolen from a construction site in Park City, according to police.
The two admitted to stealing the loader earlier that day and then placing an ad to sell it, a police affidavit states. The trailer used to transport the loader turned out to be stolen as well, according to police.
The arresting officer noted that three days earlier, the men sold another stolen skid-steer to someone for $14,000 in cash.
"(The men) have been involved in multiple stolen skid-steer cases and fraudulent sale of these construction vehicles. The total value of the stolen property exceeds $750,000 and the total cash stolen from victims in fraudulent sales exceeds $150,000," the affidavit states.
Glen Verrone, 47, and Derek Johanson, 42, were both booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of two counts of theft, two counts of theft by deception, and receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle.
Verrone "has been actively involved in thefts of these construction vehicles" even after recently being released from jail, the affidavit states. Likewise, Johanson "has continued this same fraudulent scheme after being released from jail multiple times," according to an affidavit filed for his arrest.
As of Thursday, detectives said they were still investigating whether any other cases could be linked to the men.
