Stolen Caterpillar Excavator from Coulterville Found at Chop Shop

Sonora, CA — Over $710,000 worth of stolen equipment, including a Caltrans Caterpillar excavator taken from Coulterville, were recovered at a Merced chop shop.

The picture in the image box is that stolen Cat earth moving equipment. It was reported taken in early February from a Caltrans downed tree and debris cleanup site on Highway 132 after the wicked winter storms hit the Mother Lode, as earlier reported here. Armed with a warrant to look for stolen vehicles, members of the Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force or StanCATT recently raided an automotive recycling business in the 300 block of Highway 59 in Merced.

Read the entire news article from mymotherlode.com, March 13, 2021.

NICB assisted with this investigation.