Police say a traffic stop in Bethlehem has led to the recovery of over a quarter-million-dollars worth of stolen construction equipment.
Bethlehem police on Monday, July 11, arrested Adam S. Tommell, 28, of Stove Pipe Road in Voorheesville, after they pulled over a truck hauling a New Holland Skid Steer that was allegedly just stolen from a National Grid construction site on Murray Avenue.
With further investigation, police said more equipment has been recovered in the Town of Mohawk and in the Town of New Scotland. On Friday, July 15, Tommell and his brother, Samuel T. Tommell, 32, were charged with two counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the second degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree and two counts of illegal possession of a vehicle ID number. All the charges are felonies.
State Police said the brothers were found to be in possession of a 2007 Caterpillar 320CLU Excavator, valued at $138,000, which was stolen in October of 2010 from the State Police Troop G Headquarters construction site on Troy-Schenectady Road in Latham. It was recovered on a farm on Samek Road in Mohawk, police said.
Police also allegedly found stolen equipment on farm property located at Upper Flat Rock Road in New Scotland. Police said a 2007 Kubota KX121-3 Excavator, valued at $58,000, was recovered, which was stolen off the Thruway in the City of Albany in May 2010. A 2005 Haulmark construction trailer valued at $5,500 was also found, which was reported stolen to Bethlehem Police in November 2010.
Police said the VIN numbers had been removed from the recovered equipment.
On Monday, Bethlehem Police cahrged Adam Tommell with three felonies. The skid steer was valued at $55,000 and the trailer he allegedly was pulling it with was also stolen off of a Thruway construction area in Rotterdam.
The Tommells posted bail on all the charges and were released. Police said an investigation is ongoing and additional charges are expected.`
