WHITE CITY, Ore. – Following a lengthy investigation, police have arrested a suspect in connection with the theft of a piece of heavy equipment.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said on November 20, 2017, Construction Equipment Company (CEC) screener was stolen from Schnitzer Steel in White City. A screener is a piece of heavy-duty construction equipment used to sort aggregate materials. The 45’ by 10’ screener stolen from Schnitzer Steel is worth $250,000, police said.
A white dump truck was captured on surveillance footage hauling the CEC screener away. It appeared at the time thieves used a dolly to hook the screener up to the dump truck.
Eight days after the initial theft, the screener was located on the property of a logging company in Josephine County. Other stolen property was found at that time.
Eventually, deputies were able to identify 33-year-old Steven Paul Dawson as a suspect in the case. He was arrested and lodged in the Jackson County Jail on January 29, 2018. He was charged with first degree aggravated theft. As of February 20, he no longer appeared on the Jackson County Jail’s online list of inmates.
According to JCSO, deputies think Dawson was working with at least one other person. That person’s identity has not yet been determined.
Anyone with additional information about this case should call the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 541-774-6801.
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