BILLINGS — More than $100,000 worth of stolen property from the Billings area has been recovered.
A truck and trailer stolen from two different dealerships in the Billings area were found in southern Idaho Tuesday and Wednesday.
Watch Dustin Bretz talk about the recovery of the truck and trailer:
“Working with the local police chief in Homedale, Idaho, he helped coordinate a sting operation to try and collect that trailer,” said Dustin Bretz, vice president of Bretz RV in Lockwood, on Thursday. The trailer was stolen from the Bretz lot. The truck was stolen from the Denny Menholt lot, according to Billings police.
Bretz noted that the sting operation did not go as planned.
“It was a large operation that unfortunately didn't quite catch the bad guy, but we will,” Bretz said.
The call to make an arrest faced delays as law enforcement were waiting for a warrant.
“They could not detain him because there was not a warrant out for him even after almost two weeks of the report being filed with law enforcement,” Bretz said.
Related: Lockwood RV lot offering $20K reward for stolen truck, trailer
Bretz expressed a concern with the lengthy process of getting that warrant.
“It cannot take two weeks or a week to turn around a warrant when there's this kind of leads. That's just completely unacceptable,” Bretz said.
Rob Rosin with the Caldwell Police Department in Idaho confirmed police are searching for a suspect, whom he identified as Jonathan Shane Roberts.
“We are looking forward to capturing him and taking him into custody safely,” Rosin said.
Bretz reiterated his support for the law enforcement efforts.
Following the successful recovery of the truck and trailer, Bretz is turning to social media again to find Roberts.
“They have already helped. Have all the confidence in the world that we will get Jonathan Shane Roberts,” Bretz said.
