Stanfield Police Chief Bryon Zumwalt is reporting that his department has arrested two suspects involved in a recent construction site theft of over $8,700 worth of tools.
The two suspects were identified as Cory Edward Reiner, 45, of Umatilla, and William Eugene Stolz, 43, of Hermiston.
Both suspects have a criminal history involving repeated arrests in the county, said Zumwalt. The chief added that while Reiner’s history includes repeated brushes with the law, Stolz’s record includes over 20 arrests.
Officers were alerted to the theft on Friday morning when the owner discovered a construction trailer had been broken into at one of their work sites. The property is located at the end of N. Sloan St, which is currently an un-named street in Stanfield.
On Saturday, while following up leads in the investigation, Officer Tristan Walker was able to find a stash of stolen items at a residential property located at 630 E. Harding Ave. The property owner was out of town at the time the theft happened and not involved in this incident, said Zumwalt. The owner has been cooperative with the investigation, he said.
Zumwalt said the suspects took advantage of the resident’s absence to use the area as a storage location to hide the stolen goods. The stolen property recovered at the scene was returned to the owner.
The two suspects involved were arrested and lodged at the Umatilla County Jail on a charge of first-degree theft, which is a felony.
