An arrest has been made in the theft earlier this month of a heavy piece of machinery that was stolen from the side of I-985 in Hall County. The FECON mulcher head, valued at $40,000, was recovered Friday at property on Paddock Lane in Dawsonville just across from the suspect’s residence, according to Hall County investigators. The stolen equipment was returned to its owner on Friday, as well.
According to Hall County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer BJ Williams, a GPS tracker on the equipment pinged at the suspect’s address. Investigators issued an arrest warrant for 35-year-old Richard Jonathan Alvarez. He turned himself in at the Hall County Jail on Sunday, April 24, Williams says.
He’s charged with a single count of felony theft by taking.
Alvarez is accused of stealing the mulcher from the side of I-985 southbound at Falcon Parkway in Hall County on April 17. The owner told authorities he had been working in the area and stored the equipment on elevated forklifts.
The GPS tracker on the mulcher pinged at the Texaco Food Mart on War Hill Park Road in Dawsonville Sunday afternoon, April 17. The owner of the store was able to provide some still photos of the man officials referred to as a suspect along with equipment on a flatbed trailer.
On April 20, investigators began circulating the photos through social media along with a description of the suspect. Four days later, Alvarez was taken into custody. As of Monday morning, April 25, Alvarez remained in the Hall County Jail on a $27,700 bond.
