Oakdale Public Works Truck Recovered in St. Paul

An Oakdale Public Works truck and trailer stolen Wednesday was recovered early Saturday morning by St. Paul Police on Harriet Island, said Streets Superintendent Jim Romanik.

The truck and trailer were in good condition, Romanik said, but about $10,000 worth of equipment including a hydraulic jackhammer, skid loader forks and chains were missing from the vehicle, he said.

A window in the truck had been left open allowing some rain to get in, he said.

“It was wet inside,” he said, “but there wasn’t really any damage to anything.”

The truck and trailer will be back in operation right away, Romanik said, and the city has borrowed a jackhammer from North St. Paul due to the theft.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to replace (the jackhammer) fairly quickly,” he said.

The police investigation into the theft is ongoing, he said.