TCSO tracks down property thieves in Exeter

Recovered $26,000 worth of equipment, tools and vehicles at residence

Thieves from the city of Badger, CA were tracked down in Exeter over the weekend, where responding officers confiscated an abundance of stolen property worth over $20,000.

On Saturday, Tulare County Sheriff Deputies received a call about assisting Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies with a large burglary investigation located in the city of Badger, where various types of property, antique equipment, and several vehicles had been stolen. The location was determined to be in Fresno County.

Throughout Saturday night and Sunday morning, detectives with the Tulare County Sheriffs Agricultural Crimes Unit (TCSACU) received information regarding the possible whereabouts of the stolen property and vehicles.

On Sunday at 9 a.m., TCSACU and patrol deputies responded to a home in the 22200 block of Carson Avenue in Exeter, where multiple pieces of the reported property and several of the stolen vehicles were located. Fresno County was advised and they sent detectives to assist.

Tulare and Fresno County detectives responded to three different homes in total, where three adult males were determined to have been involved in the burglary. As a result, approximately five stolen vehicles and 65 other pieces of property were identified and recovered, totaling the estimated recovery value at approximately $26,000. All recovered property was returned to the victims.

TCSACU detectives arrested Exeter resident Phillip Lowe, 28, for possession of stolen property. They also arrested Lemon Cove resident Nathan Reed, 24, for possession of stolen property, possession of a controlled substance, and for having committed a felony while out on bail. Both suspects were booked at the Tulare County Pre Trial Facility.