Montana man arrested in eastern Idaho storage container thefts

REXBURG — A 48-year-old Montana man has been charged successful 2 eastbound Idaho counties for allegedly stealing retention containers and instrumentality from aggregate section machinery and towing companies.

Michael Jack Bothman is charged successful Jefferson County pinch felony burglary and felony expansive theft. In Madison County, he is charged pinch felony expansive theft and misdemeanor malicious wounded to property.

EastIdahoNews.com reported connected nan thefts successful July and said to nan victims. You tin read much astir nan lawsuit here.

In Jefferson County

On July 16, a Jefferson County Sheriff’s lawman was assigned to analyse a burglary astatine 1 of nan Liberty Container Services locations successful Rigby, according to tribunal documents.

The business owner, Mark Hinds, told deputies he had driven by his batch connected July 11 and noticed his ray grey 40-foot 2024 Spinnaker Storage instrumentality and a achromatic and orangish 2015 Bobcat S850 “skid-steer” were missing.

According to constabulary reports, a lawman who responded noticed “obvious marks successful nan gravel wherever you could spot that nan retention instrumentality appeared to person been dragged onto a trailer.”

RELATED | Officials investigating drawstring of machinery and retention instrumentality thefts astir eastbound Idaho

Hinds besides noted that he was missing 15 12-foot aluminum panels, a caller 24-inch auger attachment for drilling telephone station holes and a caller group of six Lug EZY wheels.

During an question and reply pinch EastIdahoNews.com, Hinds said he estimated that betwixt $50,000 and $60,000 successful full spot was stolen from his company.

Deputies obtained information footage from a adjacent business, showing that astir 9 nan nighttime before, a “newer achromatic Ford Dually Pickup pulling a black-fifth instrumentality flat-bed trailer astir 40 feet successful magnitude arriv(ed) successful nan area. ”

Police reports opportunity nan motortruck and trailer, which had nary licence plates, stopped successful beforehand of Liberty Container Services and near astir an hr later pinch thing connected nan trailer.

The motortruck returns to nan spot astir 2 a.m. and leaves astatine 3:50 a.m. pinch nan stolen retention container.

Hinds’ stolen shipping container. | Courtesy Mark Hinds

Hinds’ stolen skid steer. | Courtesy Mark Hinds

In Madison County

Deputies were past told location had been a 2nd theft astatine Titan Machinery successful Rexburg. The estimated worth of their stolen spot was $6,500.

Officials were capable to get information footage from nan theft successful Rexburg, showing nan motortruck pulling a trailer pinch a substance vessel into nan northbound entranceway earlier driving westbound and stopping alongside nan business.

The fishy sewage retired of nan motortruck and reportedly looked astir nan spot earlier going to an area adjacent a work truck. Officers said nan compartment doors were surgery erstwhile he left.

Tracking down Bothman

On July 26, nan Blackfoot Police Department and Bingham County Sheriff’s Office reportedly received a extremity that nan motortruck and 2 shipping containers loaded connected nan trailer were parked astatine a state position successful Blackfoot.

At that point, nan motortruck had a Montana licence sheet and 2 occupants, Bothman and different man, who has not been charged.

According to constabulary reports, Bothman would not let investigators to hunt nan motortruck aliases nan containers and claimed to person obtained them legally.

The containers did not lucifer nan explanation of nan stolen ones and were not listed arsenic stolen, truthful Bothman and nan different man were released, according to tribunal documents.

On July 28, deputies were notified of a Facebook station from nan Deer Lodge Police Department successful Montana asking for nan public’s thief successful identifying a theft fishy pinch nan aforesaid explanation arsenic Bothman.

On Aug. 5, deputies were notified that Bothman was a fishy successful a 2nd state position theft successful Deer Lodge.

According to constabulary reports, Deer Lodge officials went to Bothman’s spot and saw a “Bobcat skid-steer that matched nan explanation of nan 1 stolen from Jefferson County.”

Officers later received a extremity that Bothman had been seen nan time of nan Rexburg theft astatine nan Maverik connected West Main Street.

The information footage shows Bothman and an unidentified man arriving successful nan aforesaid achromatic motortruck pinch a trailer carrying a 40-foot shipping container, officers say.

Arrested and charged

Bothman was arrested successful Lake County, Montana, and was later released connected an chartless bond. A mugshot is not available.

A warrant was issued for Bothman’s apprehension successful Jefferson County connected Aug. 8, and different was issued successful Madison County connected Aug. 13.

Bothman is expected to look for a preliminary proceeding successful Jefferson County connected Sept. 27. If convicted, he could look up to 24 years successful prison.

He is besides expected to look for a preliminary proceeding successful Madison County connected Sept. 18. If convicted there, he could look up to 11 years successful prison.

Although Bothman has been charged pinch these crimes, it does not needfully mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed guiltless until they are proven guilty.