Crime & Safety
Stolen Trailer Returned To Murrieta Pony Baseball, One Arrested For The Crime
Murrieta Police shared the story behind the stolen baseball equipment that threatened a league's season.
MURRIETA, CA — The Murrieta Valley Pony Baseball club was the victim of a vehicle theft early in July. Weeks later, a coordinated effort led to the recovery of the equipment trailer, which police say was returned to the club.
Rory Miner, 43, of San Bernardino, was arrested following a warrant search on July 14 at Old Waterman Canyon Road in San Bernardino. He was being held at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta and was due to appear in court on Oct. 12 at the Murrieta Southwest Justice Center.
During the warrant search, the trailer, stolen July 6 at 5:15 a.m., was recovered. It has since been returned to the Murrieta Valley Pony Baseball League.
"Whoever thought stealing from a youth baseball league was a good idea... well, they just struck out," said Murrieta Police Sgt. Matt Schmidt.
On July 6, 2026, at approximately 5:15 a.m., a suspect entered a secured area of the Murrieta Valley Pony Baseball complex, backed up to the league's equipment trailer, hitched it up, and drove away with it, Schmidt said.
"What the suspect didn't know was that the entire theft was captured on surveillance cameras.
The Community Policing Team got to work, following leads and piecing together the investigation until they identified the suspect vehicle, according to Schmidt, ultimately leading officers to a rural property in San Bernardino County.
"Working alongside the Riverside Auto-Theft Interdiction Detail (RAID) Task Force, investigators conducted a coordinated operation at the property, and the department's Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) was also used to locate the stolen trailer before obtaining and serving a search warrant," Schmidt said. "Stealing from kids is never a winning game. Thanks to a coordinated effort, the league got its baseball trailer back."
Murrieta Valley Pony Baseball League commented about the recovery.
"We’ve got the best Police Department hands down!! Thank you Murrieta Police Department for recovering this and thank you to our First Responders for all you do to keep our community safe!!!"
