YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Police in York County have arrested a suspect in the theft of an antique tractor in Hellam Township last month.
James R. Stetler, 49, of Lancaster, was charged with theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property by Hellam Township Police following their investigation of the theft of a 1937 John Deer Model B tractor from a property on Walnut Springs Road at the intersection with Anvil Lane on February 26.
The tractor's estimated value is between $1,200 and $2,700, according to police.
The property is located close to the Hellam Township Police Station, so investigators were able to obtain surveillance video of the alleged theft, which occurred at about 1:15 a.m., from cameras placed on the station's property, the complaint states.
According to police, the video showed the tractor passing the station on the back of a white flatbed tow truck. Police shared photos of the truck on social media and its Crime Stoppers page, asking for information about the vehicle.
On February 27, police said they received a call from Mark Lapp, the owner of a Lancaster towing company, who stated he believed one of his trucks may have been involved in the theft. Lapp said he had gotten several calls from people who saw pictures of the truck and believed it was one of his company's.
Lapp told police he checked his trucks' GPS records and discovered that one of them was stopped at Walnut Drive and Anvil Lane on the night of the alleged theft.
According to Lapp, the driver of the truck was Stetler, who had worked for his company for about two years.
Using information obtained from Lapp and GPS records, police traced the truck to Stetler's address on the 1800 block of Lincoln Highway East, where they found the tractor sitting behind the house.
After obtaining and executing a search warrant, police found Stetler hiding under a bed in his home, according to the complaint.
Stetler allegedly claimed he had bought the tractor off "some fella" on Facebook Marketplace, and that he did not know he was taking something that did not belong to him. Additionally, Stetler claimed to have paid $150 cash for the tractor, but could not produce any record of the sale for police.
Investigators also matched a cigarette butt found at the crime scene to the brand of cigarettes found in a pack at Stetler's home, the complaint stated.
