Stolen Bobcat Excavator, Trailer Recovered In Hudson Valley

LIVINGSTON, NY — Two Columbia County men face felony charges after being accused of stealing an excavator and a trailer. State police said Jeremiah J. Simpson, 39, and Thomas R. Puff, 47, were each charged with two counts of third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, felonies.

Troopers responded to a location in the Town of Copake for the possible sighting of a stolen Bobcat 335 excavator and Cam Super Line trailer, with a total value of about $36,000.

The equipment had been reported stolen from the Town of Broome, Schoharie County, to the state police from the Princetown barracks in Troop G.

An investigation confirmed that the heavy equipment was in fact stolen and had been hidden on a rural property in Copake, police said.

Both men were arraigned in the Town of Copake Court and scheduled to re-appear Aug. 31.

Puff was sent to the Columbia County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail or $20,000 bond.

Simpson was sent to the same jail in lieu of $20,000 bail or $40,000 bond.

This investigation remains ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact the State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigation at SP Livingston: 518-851-2893.

Photo credit: NYSP.