David Lutz, 60, of Souderton.
Hatfield Township Police have announced the arrest of 60-year-old David Lutz, of Souderton, in connection with a stolen excavator that was later recovered thanks to a GPS tracking system.
On June 24, police received a report of a stolen Bobcat E32 excavator from a work site along the 2800-block of Bergey Road. The owner informed police that the excavator—valued at $45,000—was equipped with a GPS tracking system, and was showing it to be at a property along the 3200-block of Bergey Road, according to the complaint.
Additionally, the GPS records indicated that on June 14 between 8:23 p.m. and 8:46 p.m., the excavator was moved approximately .6 miles from the work site to the new location, the report states.
When police arrived to the property. They noticed a large dump-type truck with the body in the lift position, obfuscating the view from Bergey Road, the report states. After receiving consent from the owner of a neighboring property, police were able to view the stolen excavator hidden between the dump truck and another vehicle, the report states.
Police then executed a search warrant on the property, and confirmed that the excavator was the one that was reported stolen, the report states. The ensuing investigation named Lutz as the suspect, according to the report.
Lutz was questioned by police on June 24, and allegedly admitted to being responsible for the theft of the excavator, the report states.
As a result of the investigation, Lutz has been charged with felony counts of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property. Lutz was arraigned on July 1 by Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine, who set bail at $45,000 unsecured. His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on July 12 in front of Judge Levine.
(Editor's note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. Should the defendant choose to issue a public statement, or is later found not guilty or has the charges dropped, we will update this article accordingly.)
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