By Tia Lyons
Staff Writer
Bond has been set at a total of $150,000 for an El Dorado man who has been accused of two counts of motor vehicle theft and selling at least one stolen vehicle to a local scrapyard.
Justin A. Tanton, 23, of 320 Oakwood, was arrested on a warrant for theft of property in connection to a vehicle theft that was reported on Thursday at a residence in the 500 block of South College.
Tanton had been arrested on Tuesday on an unrelated charge and was served with the warrant in the Union County Jail.
He appeared in 35th Judicial District Court twice last week on one count each of theft of motor vehicle, receiving bonds of $100,000 on Wednesday and $50,000 on Friday.
Tanton was also arrested on a warrant for enforcement of fines on misdemeanor charges.
A man told police on Thursday that someone stole his car — a blue 1996, two-door Honda Civic —, which had been parked at his former residence in the 500 block of South College.
He said the car remained on the property after the house was destroyed by fire last November.
The man said he learned the vehicle had been towed by M&A Wrecker Service and taken on Tuesday to Wildcat Recycling, Inc., where it was destroyed for scrap metal. He said he also learned that Tanton had been paid $179.20 by Wildcat for the car.
Police received a similar report on Thursday.
A man told officers that someone had stolen his car, a 1983 Buick, from a residence in the 400 block of Kinard. The man said the suspect(s) falsified documents and requested that M&A to remove the car from the property.
No suspect information was listed in the police report, and police did not say if Tanton is believed to be involved in the theft.
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Two local oil businesses reported on Friday that they have not received equipment they had ordered from a Texas vendor.
Owners of Burnside Producing and DL Oil and Gas LLC told police they ordered equipment from a supplier, Richard Simpson, in Zephyr, Texas.
The owner of Burnside said his order of two, 400-pound fiberglass tanks has not arrived, noting that the cost was $3,500.
The owner of DL Oil and Gas LLC said two of three oil field pumps that he ordered have been shipped. He said the purchase was valued at $4,883.
Both men said the vendor has stopped responding to their phone calls and email inquiries.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.