Stolen RV and pickup recovered — crooks not caught

Earlier this week we wrote about two Montana dealerships hit hard by a clever crook. Bretz RV & Marine and Denny Menholt Ford say the suspect, Jonathan Shane Roberts, used fake financial documents to drive off with the high-value vehicles in what appears to be a multi-state fraud scheme. The two dealers offered up a $10,000 reward for Roberts’ arrest. The Bretz RV stolen trailer found—but Roberts, evidently due to a prosecutorial muck-up—is still on the lam.

Bretz RV stolen trailer found after sting operation set up

The truck and trailer were taken from two separate dealerships in the Billings area. The trailer was stolen from Bretz RV in Lockwood, while the truck was taken from Denny Menholt’s lot, according to Billings police.

Dustin Bretz, vice president of Bretz RV, said local law enforcement in Homedale, Idaho, helped set up a sting operation to recover the trailer.

“Working with the local police chief in Homedale, he helped coordinate a sting operation to try and collect that trailer,” Bretz said.

Lack of warrant stalls sting

However, the plan didn’t unfold as expected. “It was a large operation that unfortunately didn’t quite catch the bad guy, but we will,” he added.

Bretz said there was a delay in arresting the suspect due to the lack of a warrant. “They could not detain him because there was not a warrant out for him even after almost two weeks of the report being filed with law enforcement,” he said.

Bretz expressed frustration over the slow process of getting a warrant issued. “It cannot take two weeks or a week to turn around a warrant when there’s this kind of leads. That’s just completely unacceptable,” Bretz said.

Caldwell Police in Idaho confirmed that officers are still looking for a suspect, identified as Jonathan Shane Roberts. “We are looking forward to capturing him and taking him into custody safely,” said Rob Rosin of the Caldwell Police Department.

Dealer thanks readers

Despite the delays, Bretz said he appreciates the efforts of law enforcement and remains confident the suspect will be found. He’s also using social media to help track Roberts down. “They have already helped. Have all the confidence in the world that we will get Jonathan Shane Roberts,” Bretz said.

We’ve arranged an interview with Dustin Bretz to get a full rundown on how things didn’t turn out as planned, and how social media viewers can help track Roberts down. We’ll bring that story to you soon.

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