Several Stolen Items Recovered

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office discovered an apparent theft ring last week involving automobiles, construction equipment and recreational vehicles. Deputies arrested three individuals suspected of involvement in the ring, including 30-year-old Autry Futschik, III of Flatonia.

According to a report from Sheriff Keith Korenek, authorities in Bastrop County contacted Sheriff’s Office Investigator Robert Dryden with information about stolen property possibly located in Fayette County. Sheriff Korenek and Dryden, along with a team of deputies, went to a location on West Parker Road north of Flatonia on Tuesday, Jan. 19, and obtained permission to search the property from the land owner.

The officers located four stolen vehicles and several other items, including:
• a 2001 F-250 Truck,
• a 2006 F-350 Ford Truck,
• a 2007 F-150 Ford Truck,
• a 2009 Chrysler 300 car,
• a 2014 Polaris Razr, and
• a 2006 Sandpiper 5th Wheel Camper Trailer

The officers arrested Futschik on the scene for theft of property valued between $2,500 and $30,000. They also arrested 29-year-old Saul Jeremy Hernandez of Bastrop and 31-year-old Veneza Natalie Dimas of Bastrop. Hernandez was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and possession of fraudulent identification. Dimas was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Following the arrests, the investigation led officers to another pair of stolen items located in Bastrop County: a 2014 box trailer and a 2013 Bobcat skid steer loader. The Bobcat was stolen from an oil pad site on Shellman Ln. near Flatonia on Jan. 11.  According to Lt. David Beyer of the Sheriff’s Office, the suspects caused major damage to the Bobcat and painted the outside black, apparently in an effort to obscure its ill-gotten origins.

“The Sheriff’s Office hopes to clear more cases and file more charges before this investigation is complete,” Korenek said in his report.