You may be wondering why someone would steal not one, but two John Deere Gators. For Maricopa man David Taylor Gregory, it was as easy as getting a ride.
Maricopa Police Department officers responded to a reported theft of a UTV just before 6:30 a.m. Monday. The owner told officers that two of his John Deere Gators had been stolen from the scene the night before.
The first was a green two-door Gator and cost about $19,000, and the second Gator was $6,000.
Unfortunately for Gregory, both Gators had Apple Air Tag tracking systems that pinged their location.
Around noon Monday, MPD officers found Gregory inside a green two-door Gator near Hidden Valley and Bolin Road. When the officer asked Gregory where he got the Gator, the 54-year-old admitted he stole it because he “needed to put it in my car.”
The second gator was on Gregory’s property and both were returned to their owners.
Gregory also matched surveillance photos taken from a camera at the scene of the crime suspected of being stolen.
Gregory was arrested and booked into the Pinal County Jail on charges of theft valued at $25,000. In Arizona, this is a felony punishable by 3 to 12 1/2 years in prison for first-time offenders.
