LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas police said they have arrested three men who they believe were involved in stealing equipment and then selling it.
Investigators say at least 15 burglaries in central, eastern and northwest Arkansas are linked to the theft ring, which has operated for more than a year, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
Equipment was stolen from businesses, and police say the thieves targeted all-terrain vehicles and tractors.
Authorities didn't have an exact overall value for what has been stolen by the ring, but rough estimates listed in court documents show that more than $100,000 worth of equipment was taken in six instances between January and April.
An investigation is ongoing. The case is built on cellular phone records, cellular tracking and investigative work from several law enforcement agencies, including the Arkansas State Police, said Kevin Metcalf, a deputy prosecuting attorney for Washington County
According to preliminary police reports, an investigation into the thefts began with a muddy shoe imprint.
Police stopped Leedrick Hinton, 32, while he was walking in late March near a Fayetteville store that had been burglarized.
They said he wore shoes with the same pattern found at the crime scene. He has pleaded not guilty to burglary and theft of property.
Records show that phone numbers listed in Hinton's cellphone linked several people to several burglaries that involved a moving truck, a white vehicle and commercial property thefts.
The cellphone information led police to know who was in the area when burglaries occurred.
Mark Mosley was arrested as the possible "ring leader," likely coordinating the burglaries by getting a U-Haul and a driver, according to a preliminary police report.
He has pleaded not guilty to commercial burglary, theft of property and engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise.
A search warrant shows that a Wynne man who owns an agriculture business also was arrested after he texted Mosley to procure specific equipment.
Jail records show that he has been released on a $5,000 bond.