Redmond credit card theft leads to raid, $30K in stolen items
(Update: More on victim’s recovery of tools)
A Redmond woman’s report that her grandson stole her credit card and used it around the area led to a raid Friday at a home that turned up more than $30,000 worth of stolen items, including a utility trailer, and the arrests of three people on theft and parole or probation violation charges, police said.
A resident on Northwest Canyon Drive contacted Redmond police Friday to report that she believed her grandson, Troy Schaffner, 27, of Redmond, had stolen her credit card, which had been used at several locations around Central Oregon, Lt. Eric Beckwith said.
Redmond police and a detective went to Schaffner’s home in the 3600 block of North Highway 97 to speak with him, Beckwith said. While there, officers found a 17-foot utility trailer reported stolen Thursday to Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies by The Flooring Guys, a small business in Terrebonne.
Beckwith said officers contacted three people leaving the home, as well as two others still inside, who were informed a search warrant was being sought and officers would be coming inside if it was authorized. A short time later, two people came out, including Schaffner.
Officers spent several hours interviewing those on the scene, collecting evidence and recovering items stolen in other thefts in the area, Beckwith said. The estimated value of the trailer and other recovered items topped $30,000.
Schaffner was arrested on charges of aggravated and first-degree theft, identity theft and fraudulent use of a credit card. He was being held Saturday at the Deschutes County Jail on $45,000 bail.
Online court records show Schaffner is scheduled for a July 16 plea hearing on a 12-count indictment returned in May, accusing him of theft, forgery and drug charges related to forged checks in late 2018.
Two others were arrested at the scene: Ashley Monahan, 28, on an outstanding arrest warrant for a parole violation and Barry Neff-Veltman, 35, for a probation violation. Both remained jailed Saturday, held without bail.
The case is still under investigation and more arrests are possible, Beckwith said.
Matthew Wallace, owner of The Flooring Guys, told NewsChannel 21 on Friday that the parked trailer stolen Thursday morning on Northwest Sixth Street in Terrebonne was filled with tools, saws and vacuums specific to hardwood floors. He said he usually locks the hitch but wasn’t sure if he’d done so Wednesday night.
The recovered trailer was damaged, with the logo sanded off, but Wallace said Saturday he was just glad to have it back. He said one fortunate thing: While the logo had been removed, the VIN (vehicle ID number) hadn’t been scratched off — at least, not yet. Wallace said he was called by police to the scene shortly after the discovery, and they found his tools all over the house, He said he got most of the tools back but some may already have been sold.
“We are just very grateful to the Redmond PD. (They) stepped up and did — they just went over and above the call of duty to look and see a trailer and run the VIN numbers to find it,” he said. “I’m sure if they didn’t find it yesterday, it would’ve been gone for good.”
“The Redmond Police Department reminds everyone to secure personal property to reduce the chance of theft and to record serial numbers and make/model information of items of value,” the lieutenant said in a news release. “Proving this information to law enforcement significantly increases the likelihood that stolen property is returned.”
To assist people in documenting and recording items of value, the Redmond Police Department has partnered with LeadsOnline to provide Redmond residents with an internet-based inventory tool. People can go to reportit.leadsonline.com to start their free secure inventory database.
Also, Beckwith said, “Please contact your local law enforcement agency as soon as possible when you believe you are a victim of a crime.”
