| March 14,
2005 |
| |
| Backhoe
and Truck Seized; Man Facing Charges |
| |
An investigation into a
recovered stolen backhoe has dominoed into several charges being levied against
a Morganton man.
Detective Chris Marsh of the Burke County Sheriff's
Office said the backhoe, reported stolen in Old Fort, was found in the
possession of Roy William Branch (right) on
February 2nd. Branch's address is listed as 561 Conley Road. He is the
owner of Branch's Towing. |
 |
|
| Marsh said that no charges were filed at the
time, pending further investigation. |
| |
| On March 9th, Marsh and a DMV inspector seized a
Freightliner tractor-trailer truck from Branch and discovered the vehicle had a
falsified vehicle identification (VIN) number, Marsh said. |
| |
| The investigators reportedly found the true VIN
number elsewhere on the vehicle and learned that it was stolen from Gaffney,
South Carolina. |
| |
| Branch was charged with two counts of possessing
stolen property, which included the Freightliner truck and the backhoe found a
month earlier. He was also charged with one count of felony altering a vehicle
identification number. |
| |
| McDowell County also issued a warrant for
larceny in connection with the stolen backhoe, according to Marsh. |
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| Branch was jailed under a $10,000 bond and had a
first court appearance on Friday. |
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