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(Wapello County, IA) -- A multi-state theft ring has been busted in Wapello County. According to a Facebook post from the Wapello County Sheriff's Office, all the stolen UTVs, dirt bikes, and trailers have been found.
The thefts happened over several months, starting with the first reported case in Ottumwa back in March.
29-year-old Aaron Keegal has been charged in connection with the thefts. He was already behind bars on unrelated charges.
Law enforcement agencies from Nebraska, Colorado, and Iowa all assisted in the investigation.
Timeline of Events (From Wapello County Sheriffs Office Facebook Post):
- March 13, 2025: Greiner's Implement in Ottumwa, Iowa reported a 2023 Yanmar UTV stolen from the business.
- March 25, 2025: A Wapello County resident on Rock Bluff Road in Ottumwa reported their Kawasaki dirt bike had just been stolen. The victim followed the suspect and contacted 911. Law enforcement responded and recovered a stolen Polaris RZR, which was later confirmed to have been stolen from Van Wall Power Sports in Indianola, Iowa. The Kawasaki dirt bike was not recovered at that time.
- March 26, 2025: Based on information gathered during the dirt bike investigation, Wapello County deputies requested assistance from the Mahaska County Sheriff's Office. Their Deputies responded to a residence in Bussey, Iowa, where they recovered the stolen Kawasaki dirt bike after an individual attempted to flee and discard the vehicle.
- March 27, 2025: A U-Haul trailer was located abandoned behind a barn in a remote, rural area in Wapello County. Investigators traced it back and confirmed it had been stolen on May 23, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa, although it had not yet been reported to law enforcement.
- June 1, 2025: A 2017 Polaris RZR XP 1000 was stolen from RJ Performance in Ottumwa, Iowa. Surveillance footage showed two suspects committing the theft. Additional cameras in Wapello County captured the stolen RZR traveling toward Mahaska County.
- June 2, 2025: A 2021 Polaris RZR was again stolen from RJ Performance. Video surveillance captured the suspects committing the theft.
- June 5, 2025: Wapello County investigators obtained and executed a search warrant for a residence in Bussey, Iowa, with the assistance of Mahaska County deputies. During the search, critical interviews were conducted that advanced the investigation significantly.
- June 8, 2025: Information gathered from interviews was shared with the Huerfano County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado. Deputies in Colorado then went and recovered the 2021 Polaris RZR stolen from RJ Performance in a rural area within their jurisdiction.
- August 12, 2025: Wapello County investigators contacted the Lincoln, Nebraska Drug Task Force with intelligence that the stolen 2023 Yanmar UTV from Greiner’s Implement was in their jurisdiction. A search warrant was executed by them, and the stolen UTV was successfully recovered.
- September 17, 2025: The final outstanding stolen vehicle, a 2017 Polaris RZR taken from RJ Performance, was found abandoned in the woods in Marion County, Iowa by individuals working in the area.