Deputies have recovered around $200,000 worth of equipment which Sheriff David Taylor said likely was stolen by one of two organized theft rings that have been operating for several months.

Two people have been arrested in the cases, with more arrests anticipated.

“We think other people are involved; we’re not sure we have the whole story yet,” Taylor said. “We’ve recovered everything we know about but there may be other things still out there.”

Since 2008, there have been multiple reports of mini-excavators and other equipment stolen in Union, surrounding counties and surrounding states. Taylor said officers have received reports that two theft rings are operating locally. A break came in the case on July 19 when Cpl. Roger Hill spotted a 2007 Ford F-350 truck hauling a mini-excavator on Arthur Boulevard. Taylor said Hill thought it was odd that anyone would be hauling equipment at 3:30 on a Sunday morning. The trailer had no lights and that gave Hill a definite reason to stop it.

“Cpl. Hill is to be commended for being alert on patrol and knowing that we suspected illegal theft of equipment in our area of the state,” Taylor said.

Hill pursued the truck as the driver made several turns and finally stopped on North Church Street. Two men got out and fled. Taylor said Union Public Safety officers quickly responded to help deputies establish a perimeter to narrow the search area. The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office bloodhounds were called, along with a helicopter from the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office to assist in the search.

A records check of the 2007 Ford showed it was stolen from Pineville, N.C. The Bobcat was stolen from E. Luke Greene of Knoxville, Tenn., which has an office on Southport Road in Spartanburg.

A man later identified as the driver of the Ford came out of a wooded area behind Calhoun Street and was taken into custody by Officer Rusty Young. He initially gave officers a false name and date of birth. Taylor said a check through a national fingerprint identification system showed the man was Brandon James White, 24, of 609 Garvin Lake Road, Gaffney. White was wanted in Georgia on prior charges.

After White was identified, he admitted to officers he had been driving the truck. In connection with this case, White has been charged by the sheriff’s office with driving under suspension, third offense; having improper lights; failure to stop for a blue light; giving false information to police; being an habitual traffic offender; resisting arrest and two counts of possession of stolen property. In Spartanburg County, White will be charged with receiving stolen goods.

Demarcus Terrel Moore, 22, of 1631 Fernwood-Glendale Road, Spartanburg, has been identified as White’s passenger in the truck. He is being held in the Spartanburg County Jail on a receiving stolen goods charge, A third person, Sidney Duron Truesdale, 25, of 7700 Stevens Mill Road, Matthews, N.C., also will be charged in Spartanburg County.

As the investigation unfolded, Taylor said officers received information on other cases of machinery stolen in Greenville, Spartanburg and Lexington counties of South Carolina and Pineville and Belmont in North Carolina. Machinery, purchased by people in Union County, has been recovered in several locations. Four skid steer Bobcats, two mini excavators, four heavy duty trailers, three equipment attachments and the Ford truck are among the items recovered. Taylor said none of the equipment was stolen in Union County.

“We know we were one of the points of distribution,” Taylor said. “We feel like there were other points of distribution, some may be in surrounding counties.

Did local people who bought the machinery know it was stolen?

“If you buy a $40,000 piece of equipment for $5,000, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out,” Taylor said.

Multiple agencies are working on the investigation, including the FBI, Spartanburg, Newberry, Cherokee, Lexington and Greenville sheriff’s office and in North Carolina, the Pineville Police, Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office and the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.

Taylor said he expects more arrests to be made as investigators continue to question suspects and recover equipment. Anyone with more information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 429-1612, Crime Stoppers at 427-0800 or the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office at 864-503-4505.