Carroll Township man wanted in dozens of pickup truck tailgate thefts
MONONGAHELA – A Carroll Township man is wanted on charges he stole truck tailgates with a total value of more than $46,000 from pickup trucks parked at dozens of locations two years ago in a three-county area.
State police filed 46 counts each of theft and receiving stolen property in the case Tuesday against Coby A. Trader, 40, of 235 Galbreath St., accusing him of stealing the tailgates in Washington, Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, court records indicate.
Carroll Township police Chief Paul Brand began the investigations after a victim, Mark Roberts, told him he recognized one of his stolen tailgates listed for sale on Craigslist and he contacted the seller, a trooper noted in the affidavit.
Roberts, who owns Roberts Auto Body at 140 Route 88, agreed to meet with Trader in November 2014 at the nearby Country Club Deli while the business was under police surveillance.
The key to Roberts’ truck fit the tailgate Trader brought to the meeting, police said.
Trader was taken into custody by a state trooper who alleges Trader confessed to stealing 11 tailgates and placing them for sale on Craigslist for $200 or $250 apiece, the affidavit states.
Meanwhile, Brand later contacted police departments in neighboring communities and he brought the total number of stolen tailgates to 46.
Police said further attempts by investigators to meet with Trader have been unsuccessful.
Most of the tailgates had values of between $2,000 and $5,000 and they were stolen from locations that included Mon Valley Hospital in Carroll, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Locks and Dam No. 4 in Rostraver Township, car dealerships and West Penn Power, also in Carroll.
District Judge Mark Wilson signed the arrest warrant in the case Tuesday.