Felony charges have been filed against two men in connection with the theft of truck batteries from county work trucks.
The Webster County Sheriff’s Department said a deputy was dispatched to the District 5 county barn on Jan. 15 in reference to stolen batteries out of county work trucks. The District 5 barn is located on Mantee Road.
After investigating throughout the day, the WCSD said two arrests were made and the batteries were recovered. Michael Hardin, 37, was charged with commercial burglary and receiving stolen property. Jesse Robinson, 35, was charged with receiving stolen property.
Both were released on bond ($6,000 for Hardin and $1,000 for Robinson) on Friday, county jail records show.
In an unrelated case, the sheriff’s office said in a social media post that its K-9 unit noticed a suspicious vehicle and man outside of a closed business around 12:45 a.m. Thursday.
Upon arrival, the sheriff’s office said the deputy noticed that the air compressor at the business had been tampered with, along with multiple loose bolts.
After further investigation and search of the vehicle, Robert Oswalt was arrested and charged with felony possession of meth and breaking into machine or coin-operated device. Oswalt, 28, remained in jail as of Monday afternoon on a $5,000 bond.
