The Pennsylvania State Police charged a Homer City man last Friday in the case of a stolen ATV.
Steven Paul McCloskey, 23, of Homer City, PA was charged with three felony offenses: Alteration or destruction of vehicle identification number, theft, and receiving stolen property, after state troopers recovered a stolen ATV found buried in McCloskey’s backyard.
According to state police, on July 9, 2020 at approximately 7:52 PM, a trooper in the Indiana Patrol Unit responded to a report of a stolen 2009 Suzuki King Quad ATV, taken from a residence along Shoup Road, West Wheatfield Township, Indiana County. The victim, a 27-year-old male of New Florence, PA, reported that after discovering that his ATV had been stolen the day before, he received information that McCloskey was attempting to sell a “hot” ATV.
Later in the evening of July 9, the investigating trooper located McCloskey at his Buffington Township residence. While conducting interviews, information was received that an ATV may have been buried in the backyard of the residence earlier that day.
The trooper investigated further and observed a backhoe parked near freshly-disturbed soil in McCloskey’s backyard. With a nighttime search warrant and assistance from a local salvor and excavator, troopers recovered the victim’s ATV, which was found to have been wrapped in plastic and completely buried under the freshly-disturbed soil. The wheels, tires, and plastic had been removed and the VIN ground off of the frame. Additional information led to the recovery of the wheels, tires, and plastic at other locations.
McCloskey was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Robert S. Bell, Sr. and was released on $20,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 12 at 9:10 AM.
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