Lane County Sheriff’s Forest Patrol solves multiple property crimes on private timber and federal properties The Lane County Sheriff’s Forest Patrol is contracted to patrol Bureau of Land Management land, Shotgun Creek OHV area, and private industrial timberlands through the Lane Timber Patrol Consortium. This three-deputy team has always been a proactive group and often assist patrol deputies and detectives on larger cases which extend into rural areas of Lane County. The team works closely with Bureau of Land Management Rangers and other law enforcement partner agencies. Over the summer, they began investigating a series of thefts and break-ins. On June 16th, a local logging company’s employees discovered their logging site on in the Sharps Creek Road area had been vandalized and items stolen. On August 21st, a different logging company discovered their work site in the area of Brice Creek Road had been vandalized and property stolen overnight, including a pump, hundreds of feet of fire hose and assorted fittings, tools, and vehicles. Gate locks had been cut to access the site, and “No Trespassing” signs removed. On August 22nd, the same company discovered the same site vandalized and property stolen overnight again, including more hose and tools. Gate locks and signs had also been damaged. No vehicles were stolen, as they had disabled all vehicles at their sites the day before. The same day, US Forest Service personnel at the Dorena Genetic Research Center (DGRC) on Shoreview Drive reported an overnight break-in, vandalism, and thefts from several buildings and employee vehicles parked in the lot overnight. On August 29th, the same company that had been stolen from twice discovered their fire truck utilized to protect the area had also been stolen. Deputies assigned to Forest Patrol spent the afternoon and evening patrolling the area, searching for the suspect vehicle. In the early evening, Deputies located a large quantity of fire hose, tossed down an embankment in the area. They were finally able to identify a suspect vehicle, but it’s whereabouts were unknown. On August 30th, shortly after midnight, a Cottage Grove Police officer located the suspect vehicle on N. River Rd in Cottage Grove and conducted a traffic stop. A deputy and BLM Ranger responded and contacted the driver, Michael Duane Vanbrocklin, 40, of Cottage Grove. Through further investigation, deputies located the stolen fire truck on a remote National Forest road in the Brice Creek area. Another suspect, Dillon McQuade Praay, 31, of Cottage Grove, was contacted near the stolen truck and found to be in possession of the keys. Deputies then located more stolen property at a transient camp several miles away, as well as an unrelated stolen Honda Civic. On August 31st, deputies and a BLM Ranger received an itemized list of stolen property from the DGRC burglary. Many of the previously-unreported items had been in the back seat of Vanbrocklin’s vehicle. On September 1st, deputies applied for and were granted a search warrant for Vanbrocklin’s vehicles and home. On September 3rd, deputies, BLM Rangers, and a USFS Special Agent served the search warrant at Vanbrocklin’s home in Cottage Grove. Stolen property from multiple thefts was located, as well as about three dozen county traffic, railroad, BLM, and USFS signs. Two stolen firearms and many tools from the same incidents were not located, however. Vanbrocklin was arrested and lodged in jail following the service of the warrant for multiple charges. Based on their investigation, on September 4th, deputies, a BLM Ranger, Douglas County Parole Officers, and a USFS Special Agent went to a transient camp in the Brice Creek area. Deputies found additional stolen property, and later located and arrested Praay for the multiple charges related to the August 29th incident, in addition to an outstanding warrant for a parole violation. On September 24th, Vanbrocklin was indicted by a grand jury on 12 charges related to these cases: - Four counts of Theft in the 1st Degree - Two counts of Burglary in the 2nd Degree - Criminal Mischief in the 1st Degree - Two counts of Felon in Possession of a Firearm - Two counts of Criminal Trespass in the 2nd Degree - Unlawful Entry Into a Motor Vehicle A grand jury also indicted Praay for: - Unlawful Use of a Motor Vehicle - Criminal Mischief in the 1st Degree - Unlawful Theft of Special Forest Products Anyone who has purchased items from Vanbrocklin or Praay in the past several months is asked to contact the Lane County Sheriff’s Office to confirm whether or not the items were stolen. Please call the non-emergency Dispatch number at 541-682-4150 opt. 1. Thanks to the Lane County District Attorney’s Office, Cottage Grove Police Department, Bureau of Land Management, United States Forest Service, and Douglas County Parole & Probation for their assistance in this investigation.