A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a man accused of stealing nearly $32,500 in equipment in 2013 from Crawford Equipment, located near the intersections of highways 95 and 47, west of Cambridge.
Aaron Michael Stenquist, 44, of St. Francis, was scheduled to appear Feb. 18 before Judge Lynn Olson in Isanti County District Court in Cambridge. After he didn’t attend for his first appearance, Olson issued a warrant for his arrest.
Steqnuist was officially charged Jan. 14 with felony theft via criminal complaint. He is accused of stealing a Big Tex Gooseneck trailer valued at $8,258 and three zero-turn-radius lawn mowers valued at $24,097 on July 29, 2013.
According to the criminal complaint:
Surveillance video at Crawford Equipment showed at approximately 5:29 a.m. July 29, 2013, an extended cab GM pickup driving out of Crawford Equipment with the Gooseneck trailer attached to the truck and the three lawn mowers are visible on the trailer.
On Aug. 12, 2013, the trailer was recovered in Anoka County.
On Oct. 17, 2013, Isanti County law enforcement learned the pickup truck used in the theft was parked at a residence along the 25670 block of University Avenue in Isanti County. Officers responded, and the truck was positively identified as having been used in the theft. Isanti County Investigator Rob Bowker determined Stenquist was the owner of the truck.
Stenquist was in jail in Sherburne County when officers recovered the pickup; however, a female was present. The female told Bowker that Stenquist was present when the lawn mowers were stolen. The female said Steqnuist and a friend brought the trailer and lawn mowers to the residence off University Avenue.
She said she didn’t know what happened to the lawn mowers, but the truck and Gooseneck trailer were parked back in the woods for a while, but she didn’t know what ultimately happened to the trailer.
On Oct. 17, 2013, Bowker and Isanti County Investigator Wayne Seiberlich interviewed Stenquist at the Sherburne County Jail.
Under Miranda, Stenquist said he owned the pickup that was used in the theft.
Stenquist said his friend drove the truck to Crawford Equipment and he was the passenger. Stenquist attached the trailer to the fifth-wheel hitch.
Once the trailer was attached to the truck, Stenquist and his friend drove the trailer and lawn mowers to the residence along University Avenue.
At the residence, the friend unloaded a mower from the trailer and loaded it on an aluminum trailer that was attached to another pickup.
The friend left the residence with the mower and returned approximately 45 minutes later without the mower.
After returning, Stenquist said his friend did the same thing, in the same manner, with the two remaining mowers.