A man accused of stealing a tractor and parking it in a Jurupa Valley lot, where authorities also found a dog that had been snatched from its owners two years earlier, pleaded not guilty Monday to receiving stolen property.
Jose Arias, 49, was arrested in August following a Riverside County sheriff’s investigation into the theft of the $80,000 John Deere backhoe from an Eastvale property belonging to Atkinson Construction Co.
Arias was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Emma Smith, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Dec. 10 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
He’s free on a $10,000 bond.
According to sheriff’s officials, investigators found the stolen tractor on Aug. 24 in a vacant lot in the 8400 block of 58th Street, just east of Pedley Road, a day after it had been taken.
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 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, who was 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 a day later 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 he was identified as the alleged perpetrator of the tractor theft.
The defendant has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.