Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan reports on November 5, 2023, at around 7:07 a.m., the Linn County Dispatch Center received several calls regarding a suspicious vehicle near Parker Road and Webber Drive in Shedd. Callers reported a pickup was pulling a trailer with a commercial gas tank. One of the callers stated they spoke to the driver of the truck after it stopped to unhook the trailer, as the rear of the trailer was dragging on the ground.
Deputies arrived in the area and were notified by witnesses that the pickup that had been pulling the trailer was left in a nearby field and the driver was seen walking into a densely wooded area. Deputies set up a perimeter where the male was seen walking while other deputies investigated the trailer and commercial gas tank that had been left behind. Deputies were able to determine the trailer had been stolen from Sweet Home and the commercial gas tank had been stolen from a construction job site in Albany. Neither the owner of the trailer or commercial gas tank were aware their property had been stolen until contacted by the investigating deputies. Deputies also learned that the commercial gas tank contained a large amount of fuel and was moved onto the trailer using an excavator at the jobsite.
With assistance from a drone and an Albany Police K9, the male was located hiding in the densely wooded area. The male was identified as Dale Jesse Grant Reeley, 34, from Sweet Home. Dale was arrested and brought to the Linn County Jail on charges of Unauthorized Use of Motor Vehicle, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Unlawful Entry into Motor Vehicle, Aggravated Theft I, Criminal Mischief II, and Criminal Trespass II.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in this investigation by the Albany Police Department and the Oregon State Police.