News

Thefts investigations continue despite some big breaks

Posted February 06, 2011 10:00 pm

Brian DeNeal

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Southeastern Illinois College Friday was taking back possession of the welding equipment stolen the night of Feb. 7 or morning of Feb. 8.

Most of the equipment taken Feb. 5 from Ten Oak Stables was returned to the owners there. At least one saddle was still unaccounted for as of Friday, Saline County Chief Deputy Ken Clore said.

These items, along with boxes of equipment from Auto Trim and Harrisburg and license plates of neighbors were all seized from the 1106 S. Main St. residence of Joshua E. Diefenbach, 34.

Diefenbach was a former Marine, a former Saline County telecommunicator and correctional officer. He also was a former SIC welding student who had re-enrolled at the college to "help out" the welding program, it was said Friday as men from SIC loaded the equipment into a trailer.

Diefenbach killed himself by gunshot Wednesday afternoon as deputies searched his garage and outbuilding, acting on an anonymous tip stolen goods were possibly on his property.

The case has resulted in the return of stolen good to the victims of one of the more high-dollar burglary sprees the county has seen in recent months.

The recovered items from Diefenbach's property carried an estimated value of $37,000, according to the Saline County Sheriff's Office.

Many of those items recovered from Diefenbach's property have been claimed, but some have not, such as a mystery trailer containing metal rods and what appears to be a hand-made cast iron animal feeding trough.

But the investigation and other high-dollar theft investigations is ongoing as the Saline County Sheriff's Office believes Diefenbach had accomplices.

In other investigations there has been insufficient evidence to effects other arrests.

In another rash of thefts Galatia Police Thursday night arrested two teenagers suspected of having broken into vehicles in the Galatia area.

Some of the cases were handled by Galatia Police and six were handled by the county.

Chief Mike Herron said one of those taken into custody is a ward of the state and Department of Child and Family Services has forbidden him to further interview the youth until he is given permission from the agency.

"We recovered change, some iPods and some keys taken from vehicles. Some were county cases," Herron said.

According to the Saline County Detention Center booking log Alexander Lee Racey, 17, 109 State St., Galatia, was arrested by Galatia Police 11:32 p.m. Feb. 3 on charges of burglary and possession of stolen property.

The largest scale theft the county has investigated is of tools, an engine and an all-terrain vehicle stolen from Western Fuels between Jan. 21 and Jan. 23 in the North America area of the old Liberty Mine. Items stolen were value at about $40,000.

"That's probably the biggest value one we've got," Chief Deputy Ken Clore said.

CSI near Raleigh was burglarized last fall and the Saline County Sheriff's Office made two arrests and recovered the stolen property.

"We recovered all the stainless steel," Clore said.

Spreading the word about the various cases has resulted in calls with tips to the department.

"We are getting a lot of people calling in giving us names," Clore said.

The department distributed a photo of a man captured on a security camera who broke into Pleasant Valley Star General Baptist Church the weekend of Jan. 28, but who apparently found nothing to take.

"With Star Church they are calling in with suspects. It's very helpful," Clore said.

The man has not been positively identified, yet.

While the department believes there are as-yet unidentified thieves or would-be thieves roaming about the county, there are also mysterious unclaimed items believed to have been stolen.

One is a gray Specialized Crossroads bike and the other is an orange Mongoose Hoop D freestyle bike with a Tony Hawk seat. Deputies found the bikes in a ditch at a Galatia garage where an ATV and a golf cart were stolen and later recovered. Deputies believe the thieves may have stolen the bikes from another residence and ditched them in favor of the ATV and golf cart, but no one has reported the bicycles missing.

At the Saline County Highway Garage -- holding area for items too large for the sheriff's evidence locker -- there is the mystery trailer containing the metal rods and trough-like apparatus. There is also a pile of miscellaneous tools and power tools -- some still in the original packaging -- an portable air tank, a military-style backpack, fanny packs, a life preserver, a television stand and more that no one has reported missing.

The sheriff's deputies believe there are more culprits out there who will likely strike again.

They ask people to continue to be watchful of their own and their neighbors' property.

"At nighttime, watch for people hauling things in the back of trailers or pickup trucks," Clore said.

Farmers should secure their buildings and though a determined thief might damage a door trying to get in others might detect the sounds of the labor.

Brown says for personal protection people can install timers for their lights in their personal residences, hold mail and newspapers when they are to be gone and ask others to keep an eye on their property.

Brown also asks people who know they are victims of a burglary to call the sheriff's office before entering to give those trained in crime scene analysis a chance to get in first.

"That gives us the opportunity to recover evidence," Brown said.

And everyone with valuable property should document that property in the event it is stolen so that it can be identified if it is recovered. People should inventory their property and write down serial numbers, take video of their belongings room by room which can also help in the case of a house fire or simply take still photos of items and photos of the serial numbers. Those photos can be filed away on a CD or memory card.

People should also be wary of people selling equipment.

"If anybody calls with a bargain be suspicious," Clore said.

"If somebody offers too big of a bargain let us know," Brown said.

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DeNeal receives e-mail at mailto:bdeneal@yourclearwave.com.</li>

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