Big tractor found in church parking lot was stolen from Utah construction site miles away

SALT LAKE CITY – A large tractor stolen from a Utah construction site was found abandoned at a Mormon church, apparently after the thieves took it on a ride through Salt Lake City’s suburbs, officials said Wednesday.

The Komatsu PT250-5 front-end loader valued at $130,000 disappeared from West Haven early in the week.

Weber County Sheriff’s Lt. Lane Findlay said officials don’t know how such a large piece of construction equipment could be stolen and driven without keys.

“This one is a little more unusual because it’s such a big piece of machinery,” Findlay said.

It was recovered Wednesday when police got a call from a maintenance worker at a Mormon church in Ogden, about seven miles northeast of the construction site.

“It’ll be interesting to see who is responsible for it. They obviously started feeling a little bit of heat, abandoning it,” Findlay said.

It was reported on Tuesday to be parked in the driveway of a home about six miles east in Ogden, just over a mile from the church.

The sheriff’s office had posted a missing vehicle alert on its Facebook page and a tipster had shared a photo with police of the scene along the shady, residential street. The yellow tractor’s large scoop was on the front and the vehicle stood nearly as tall as the neat row of houses.

It was no longer parked there when detectives went to find it.

“I don’t know how someone keeps that in their garage or their house,” Findlay said.

Crime scene investigators have processed the machine, typically used to move dirt or debris, for evidence and fingerprints. The tractor was not damaged and has been returned to its owner.

Findlay said detectives were pursuing a person connected to the Ogden house where it was seen.