Glenville man pleads guilty in theft
One of two Glenville men charged in a series of thefts in early April changed his plea to guilty Friday in Mower County Court.
Titus John Weedman, 31, pleaded guilty to felony theft.
According to the court complaints, a resident near northwest of Austin on 20th Avenue spotted a truck driving by his home with a $400 manure spreader he recognized from the property he oversees. He told authorities about the alleged theft.
Several days later, that man’s wife allegedly saw the same truck, according to the court complaint. The complaint states the woman followed the truck until it escaped at high speeds. Though she gave sheriff’s deputies directions while she followed, deputies were unable to locate the truck, the complaint states. The homeowners mentioned they also noticed two other pieces of equipment missing worth about $1,200.
According to the complaint, someone posted a trail camera after the first theft, which caught the truck entering and leaving the abandoned property several days later with more machinery.
Freeborn County deputies then identified the truck as Weedman’s. After further investigation, authorities found the items at Wild Horse Trading Inc. in Kensett, Iowa. The business owner said Weedman and Todd Duane Oakland, 46, frequently do business with him. Oakland also faces a felony theft charge.
According to the complaint, Weedman’s truck was caught on video at the business, and receipts from that business and others found in Oakland’s truck match the stolen items.
In the complaint, Oakland admits to being with Weedman, taking the items from the abandoned site and selling them at Wild Horse Trading.
Weedman’s sentencing is set for June 29.