A 48-year-old man suspected of stealing a tractor and parking it in Jurupa Valley, where authorities also found a dog whose owners had been searching for him for two years, was behind bars Thursday.
Jose Arias was arrested Wednesday following a Riverside County sheriff’s investigation into the Aug. 23 theft of an $80,000 John Deere backhoe from an Eastvale property belonging to Atkinson Construction Co.
Arias was booked into the Robert Presley Jail on suspicion of vehicle theft and receiving stolen property. He’s being held in lieu of $10,000 bail.
According to sheriff’s officials, investigators found the stolen tractor Friday in a vacant lot in the 8400 block of 58th Street, just east of Pedley Road.
While at the site, deputies noticed a Great Dane chained to a concrete block nearby and became concerned about her welfare, prompting them to summon animal control officers.
Department of Animal Services spokesman John Welsh said that Officer Christopher Peck and his partner took possession of the canine and scanned her for a skin-embedded microchip identifier, which returned information on her registered owner, whom the men immediately contacted.
“The owner told us the dog had been stolen two years earlier,” Peck said. “She said her daughter never forgot about the family pet and had been praying, tossing coins into fountains and wishing upon every shooting star that their pet would one day return home.”
The now-3-year-old canine, “Sadie,” was reunited with the family Saturday at the Western Riverside County Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley.
It was unclear whether Arias had a hand in abducting the animal in 2016.
Sheriff’s officials did not disclose how detectives determined he was the alleged perpetrator of the tractor theft.