Centralia Police seek public’s help in $615K heavy equipment theft case

Two men have been booked into Lewis County Jail, accused of allegedly stealing more than $615,000 of heavy machinery over the last seven years.

The Centralia Police Department (CPD) has asked the community to help identify additional stolen property that may be related to the case.

Stolen equipment in Lewis County

CPD and Lewis County Superior Court documents identified Winlock resident Jonathan Delo, 45, as the primary suspect. He faces three counts of first-degree theft and three counts of first-degree trafficking of stolen property, according to the CPD release.

CPD also labeled Brandon Moore, 49, as a co-conspirator linked to Delo. The two are accused of allegedly stealing and selling stolen equipment in Lewis, Thurston, Cowlitz, and Clark counties.

Delo was arrested on Jan. 26 when an excavator, valued at roughly $92,500, was stolen from a job site in Lewis County. Surveillance video from a nearby church uncovered a dark-colored Ford Super Duty pickup truck with a bright green flatbed trailer towing the stolen excavator, the CPD release stated.

Officers were able to obtain Delo’s license plate information for the pickup and trailer, and the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) used the information to conduct surveillance at an address associated with the trailer on Tennessee Road in Winlock, according to the release.

During the CPD, JNET, and Lewis County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) search warrant, the suspect’s truck arrived on scene but immediately departed after seeing the police on site, the release stated.

Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza intercepted Delo’s pickup truck in the 300 block of Tennessee Road, and the JNET K-9 narcotics detection unit discovered Methamphetamine in Delo’s vehicle.

After Delo’s apprehension, a records check returned several outstanding warrants from Cowlitz County Superior Court for first-degree theft, first-degree trafficking in stolen property, and first-degree theft from Grays Harbor Superior Court, according to the CPD release.

Delo and Moore were booked into the Lewis County Jail on April 15 for theft and trafficking of stolen property. Additionally, Moore was charged with leading organized crime, the CPD release stated.

CPD urged anyone who has purchased heavy equipment from Delo within the last seven years to contact CPD Detective King at (360) 330-7680 to verify its legitimacy.

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