Horse stolen from southern York County by Alabama man: PA state police

A southern York County horse called “Predict the Future” didn’t quite live up to its name, as its owner didn’t see an alleged credit card scheme coming when an Alabama man bought the equine.

Bradley Wells, 39, of Irvington, Alabama was charged with theft, access device fraud, and criminal use of a communication facility last month in connection with the horse sale, according to a Pennsylvania State Police news release.

Predict the Future has been returned to its owner in Shrewsbury Township, state police said.

According to the news release, the owner, who is not named, did have the horse for sale online. He received a call from a man who identified himself as "Leroy Davis" from Mississippi, who agreed to pay $15,000 for the horse and paid with two credit card transactions.

Police said Predict the Future was shipped through a transport company to the reported buyer's address in Moss Point, Mississippi. But then the victim was notified that the credit card transactions were disputed as fraudulent, and the money was removed from his bank account.

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Timothy Reynolds contacted the private transport company, Brook Ledge, Inc. It stated that Davis had scheduled the transport and paid for the shipment via credit card. The horse was to be shipped to and picked up at a stable facility in Lexington, Kentucky, but the staff there would not let "Davis" leave with the horse because his trailer was deemed inadequate and unsafe for transport, said the news release.

Police said the company agreed to transport the horse to Moss Point, Mississippi, at Davis’ request. This was also paid for by credit card. After the horse was delivered, the shipping company was notified the card transaction was unsuccessful. It was found the credit card transactions were all reported as fraudulent by the owners of the card numbers in each transaction.

According to the news release, Reynolds also obtained search warrants for multiple phone numbers that were used to facilitate the transactions. Police discovered a cell phone with the phone number connected to the alleged crime was in the area of the stables in Lexington, Kentucky, on Oct. 13, 2022, and in the area of Piggly Wiggly in Moss Point, Mississippi, where the horse was eventually delivered on Oct 15, 2022. The subscriber information registered to that phone had a listed address of 11355 Moores Lane in Irvington, Alabama.

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The Mobile County Sheriff’s Department checked that address on Dec. 28, 2022. While checking the property, officers observed a horse matching the description of Predict the Future on an adjacent property, and they observed a trailer matching the images of the involved trailer from Lexington, Kentucky, and Moss Point, Mississippi, police said.

According to the news release, a male subject on the property told police the property belonged to Bradley Wells. Police used a microchip reader and scanned the horse, confirming the horse was Predict the Future. The horse was seized and kept at a local stable until transported back to Pennsylvania.

State police said the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department confirmed through Alabama property records that Bradley Wells is the owner of the property at 11325 Moores Lane. The sheriff’s department found Wells was also associated with the property at 4125 Griffin Street, Moss Point, Mississippi. This was the address “Leroy Davis” provided the victim on the bill of sale documents for the horse.

Reynolds obtained an arrest warrant for Wells, charging him with theft, access device fraud, and criminal use of a communication facility, police said.

Police said charges were filed on Jan. 6, and Wells turned himself in at Troop J, York station on Jan. 18.

On Feb. 1, Reynolds obtained another arrest warrant for Bradley Wells on charges of theft of services, access device fraud, and criminal use of communication facility in Berks County for allegedly using a fraudulent credit card to facilitate the transportation of the horse through Brook Ledge, Inc.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Alabama man charged with stealing a horse from York County, Pa.