Two of 14 stolen trailers recovered Sunday with the arrest of two Ft. Wayne men

Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter
·2 min read

Through luck and good police work Sunday, Bish’s RV recovered two of 14 trailers stolen from their Coldwater lots in the last 45 days, according to general manager Jeff Shumway.

Two Ft. Wayne men, Nicholas H. Shaneyfelt, 21, and Robert Earl Baylock, 27, were arrested after Indiana State Police followed the stolen trailers to a gas station off I-69 at US 6, near Waterloo, Indiana.

Keystone Cougar trailers like these were stolen from this overflow lot off Lott Road Sunday from Bish's RV. Both Were recovered when two Ft. Wayne men were arrested.
Keystone Cougar trailers like these were stolen from this overflow lot off Lott Road Sunday from Bish's RV. Both Were recovered when two Ft. Wayne men were arrested.

Employees of the East Chicago dealership said a friend of a salesman called him around 3:30 p.m. to report two trucks were pulling Keystone Cougar travel trailers from the overflow lot next to Tractor Supply on Lott Road.

The salesman headed to I-69 and located the trucks and trailers at an Indiana rest stop, giving the information to 911.

Indiana State Police Trooper Blake Kugler heard the broadcast and followed, pulling over the trucks and trailers at the gas station. 

The trooper said both drivers immediately walked and then ran away.

Police quickly apprehended Shaneyfelt in a farm field south of US6.

Dekalb County Sheriff’s K-9 Rico found Baylock in a wooded area south of US6 and CR27.

Police found the 2008 GMC Sierra and the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado the men were allegedly driving were stolen from a business and residence in Ft. Wayne.

ISP returned the trucks and trailers to their owners, according to ISP Sgt. Brian Walker, who released details about the arrest.

Prosecutors charged both men in Dekalb County, Indiana, with theft of property worth $50,000 or more, punishable by two to eight years in prison.

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Both also face a one-year misdemeanor for fleeing police. The men were released on bond.

Shumway said there were no immediate ties to the other 12 trailer thefts, but Coldwater Police were investigating the men as part of an organized ring stealing trailers in Branch County. 

Assisting Kugler were troopers from the Fort Wayne Post and the Toll Road Post, officers with the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Department, Auburn Police, Waterloo Town Marshal, Hamilton Police, Fort Wayne Police, and the Coldwater Police.

The Branch County prosecutor expects to file charges against both men after reviewing Coldwater police reports.

Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Indiana State Police Bish's RV Coldwater trailer thefts arrests