Deputy Nabs Metal Thief
Sonora, CA — Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Officials caught a thief in the act after they were tipped off to trouble in a local construction site.
It happened on Thursday around 6:30 p.m. Sheriff’s Officials say a deputy was patrolling the area of the bypass construction site in Sonora when he noticed a white Ford truck on the future West bound on ramp from Peaceful Oak Rd. They say the deputy stopped the truck and saw it was loaded with scrap metal worth about $500.
The deputy says he recognized the driver of the truck, 31 year old Jeremia Taylor of Sonora, but not the two other passengers in the truck. Sheriff’s Officials say when asked about the scrap metal, Taylor claimed he had permission to take it off the site. They say the deputy knew Taylor was already arrested on September 28 for stealing metal from the same site. When Taylor did not have a note from the site manager or a phone number the deputy told them to unload the truck and leave.
After some investigation, the deputy contacted the site manager who told him Taylor had no permission to be on the site or remove anything from it. Sheriff’s Officials say he also told the deputy that Taylor threatened him. The threat was made after the first arrest, reportedly Taylor said he would come back and steal all the diesel fuel on the site if charges weren’t dropped.
Sheriff’s Officials say Taylor was arrested at his home and charged with Theft and Dissuading a Victim from giving Testimony.
