Man accused of stealing $140,000 worth of equipment near Mount Gretna, Pa.

Lina Portman2 days ago

0 2 minutes read

A 23-year-old Middletown resident has been charged with allegedly stealing $140,483 worth of specialized equipment near Mount Grenta in January, including a mobile mapping computer and a metal detector.

On January 2, South Londonderry Township Police were dispatched to the area of 500 Mount Gretna Road for a reported theft. A Tetra Tech employee told police that specialized equipment was stolen from a temporary storage trailer located in the parking lot of State Game Lands 145, west of Mount Gretna.

The storage trailer was missing a combination lock, which employees said had been securing the container since Thanksgiving last year.

“The complainant reported that several items valued at approximately $150,000 were stolen,” police said in court documents. “Among these items were a Kaarta SLAM Stencil 2 and a White’s MX7 metal detector.”

Tetra Tech is a Pasadena, California-based consulting and engineering firm providing services in the areas of water, environment and resource management. A Kaarta SLAM Stencil 2 is a mobile mapping device.

On Jan. 3, police responded to a call to the Capitol City pawn shop regarding the sale of the Kaarta SLAM Stencil 2 and a White's MX7 metal detector. The serial numbers found match the stolen devices.

An employee identified Ivan Lee Rodgers as the person who attempted to sell the devices, providing video and receipts of the transaction as well as a photo of Rodger's Pennsylvania ID card. The employee said Rodgers indicated he located the items while cleaning out a storage unit and attempted to sell them for $4,000.

On Jan. 13, police attempted to contact Rodgers and asked him to come in for an interview related to the items stolen from Tetra Tech.

“Ivan Lee Rodgers told (police) he did not steal any items from Mount Gretna,” court documents state, adding that Rodgers said he found the items he pawned in a dumpster.

Police obtained a search warrant on Jan. 12 for Rodger’s phone records between Nov. 23, 2023, and Jan. 3, 2024. Those records allegedly showed Rodgers receiving cell service six times at the crime scene. Rodger’s phone records also showed he spent a total of 40 minutes on the mornings of Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 at the crime scene before returning directly to his Middletown residence, according to court documents.

A review of call records showed Rodgers made two calls on Dec. 31 to Goody's Unlimited in Carlisle, a buy-and-sell store.

Rodgers was charged with theft by unlawful taking. A preliminary hearing is scheduled before Lebanon County Judicial District Judge David Warner Jr. at 8 a.m. July 18.

Matthew Toth is a journalist at the Lebanon Daily News. You can contact him at [email protected] or on X at @DAMattToth.

Lina Portman

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