EQUIPMENT THIEF WANTED Deputies Search For Equipment Theft Suspect
Reported by: Dave Benton
Web Producer: Dave Benton
Reported: Mar. 5, 2013 7:47 PM EST
Updated: Mar. 6, 2013 9:53 AM EST
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Huntington
, Cabell County
, West Virginia
The Cabell County Sheriff's Office needs your help. Thirty-two year old Justin Brafford from Hurricane is wanted for allegedly stealing more than 30 thousand dollars worth of tools and other materials. Deputies say Brafford broke into several trucks parked at hotels in the Huntington area.
Sgt. Mike Wentz said, "he is actively running from police. There are U.S. Marshals and deputies looking for the suspect."
Detectives say Brafford targeted vehicles carrying equipment, in particular trucks with tool boxes attached to the truck bed. But detectives say Brafford's crime spree last month wasn't the first time he head a run-in with the law. Deputies say Brafford's criminal rap sheet includes drug trafficking in Tennessee, grand larceny, fleeing, obstructing and was caught back in August in Cabell County for allegedly stealing a generator. Brafford's case was bound over to a grand jury.
Brafford is six feet tall, with a buzzed haircut and weighs 225 pounds. Many of the items stolen were found at local pawn shops and also his residence in Hurricane.
Sgt. Wentz warns owners who transport expensive tools to use common sense and not make them easy targets for thieves. "A lot of times you have contractors who come in town with tools. They need to keep everything secure and locked up. Sometimes the thieves will take the whole tool box."
Anybody with information that can help the Cabell County Sheriff's Office find Justin Brafford, should call 911.
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Dave Benton
