Posted on 12/22/2022 3:54:05 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
DUNNELLON, Fla. — A stolen tractor valued at over $50,000 was located in Levy County, according to the Levy County Sheriff's Office (LCSO).
LCSO said that on Dec. 14, detectives were made aware that a John Deere front-end loader had been stolen from a job site in the City of Dunnellon and that the tractor may have been hidden in the Morriston area of Levy County.
Investigation revealed Anthony Ralph, 42, was in possession of a similar John Deere tractor.
A LCSO detective, with assistance from officers with the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), responded to the location.
When officers arrived, they found Ralph of Crystal River operating the tractor and took him into custody.
The investigation determined the John Deere 544 front-end loader was being used by Ralph to clear properties in the area south of SR 121 and CR 337.
Ralph was wanted on active warrants in Citrus and Alachua Counties, and he has a lengthy criminal history in multiple Florida counties. A detective contacted the victim in Dunnellon and returned the tractor.
Detectives also seized methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia from Ralph’s vehicle.
LCSO Detective Scott Stancil is requesting that anyone who hired Ralph contact him at 352-486-5111, ext. 364.
Decent ones I looked up are 100-120 grand
Yup, one for $50K might or might not be running.
There was a genius in Jersey a few years ago who was stealing heavy equipment and then burying it on a farm.. He thot he’d wait for the heat to die down then sell. Florida guy has to be a cuzzin?
All depends on age and wear and how it was taken care of. Last week I spotted a CAT 416 backhoe sitting that looked like it had not been moved in several years. I found and contacted the owner and he told me it had a busted hydraulic line and he thought the motor was stuck. I went and took a closer look and noticed it only had 5700 hours on it, all the pins were well lubed and very little wear on the buckets. I offered him $1500, he wanted $2K, we split the difference at 1750. I put 2 new batteries in it and it popped right off, fixed the hydraulic line and drove off with it. Market for that 1986 machine is 15-18K. Gonna do a little work around the house first and then sell it this spring.https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2241639352671295&set=pcb.2241639519337945&__cft__[0]=AZVM4QN9cYqf6xD9Eg5lbkvZEGMZ4FUQOqd4cURSdrPnDxXAwaUdJZKPp5G51M9deh5x4GtT_9YErkwetxeUDhiOhXdu1trL0Ggc1CWdkCoHfSs_S-QiI0-I_SttWT7mPItO93iCadEfVpvILi32LiDMxHVFss6YcxKFX86xz7qeAA&__tn__=*bH-R
“Decent ones I looked up are 100-120 grand”
Yes 50K these days just gets you into something above the lawn mower stage. That is counting some implements.
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Excellent prospecting! Glad you got a good deal.
Crime in rural areas is often directed at the theft of farm equipment. I know of a case years ago in which a rural bank president in Florida with a drug habit and a greedy ex-wife started buying, selling, and brokering the sale of stolen farm equipment, even forging bills of sale and lending to finance purchases.
I don’t buy anything with a for sale sign on it. Houses, I look for one with growed up yard, maybe needing some paint. Get on the puter and find out who owns it, Last 3 years I bought 3 houses, all less than 30K each, put a little money in them and turned em for way more than double plus renting them for a while and any time you can double your investment you doing good.
Didn’t George Jones drive a tractor to the liquor store?
Most likely because if it was a newer model, John Deere could disable it remotely.
Nice!
Where are you that houses are that cheap? I couldn’t buy a ramshackle hut for 30K on a half lot for that!
Here in rural NE Alabama. Older town with many houses built in 40’s and 50’s. But I never as I said buy anything with a for sale sign on it. I just got another one last week, 2 bedroom 1 bath, hasn’t been lived in for about 6-7 years, paid a little more than I wanted, $38 K, but it was the location, right on US 72 that made the sale, will make great location for small business later on.
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