By: Patti Weaver

(Stillwater, Okla.) — A Drumright man arrested by Payne County Sheriff’s Investigator Brandon Myers has been freed on $25,000 bail on charges of stealing a Lamar flatbed utility trailer and John Deere lawn mower in Cushing on July 26, followed by the theft of a Cargo Craft enclosed trailer containing equipment from Pickens Real Estate and Auction in Stillwater on Aug. 2.

Stephen Ray Hearrell, 31, has been ordered to appear in Payne County District Court on Tuesday for arraignment on two counts of grand larceny of equipment worth a total of $16,600, court records show.

A Cushing man reported on July 26 that his 2015 utility trailer worth $2,500 and 2016 lawn mower worth $4,500 were stolen from his property in the 400 block of E. Moses, Myers’ affidavit said.

On Aug. 5, Pickens Real Estate and Auction in Stillwater reported that its 2013 enclosed trailer containing three laptop computers, two driver’s license scanners, two printers, a copier, a power storage unit, two cash drawers, $50, a portable heater and two sound systems with a total value of $9,600 were stolen and last seen on Aug. 2, the affidavit said.

Cushing police recovered video footage from a convenience store that showed at 4:15 a.m. on July 26 a 1990s model Chevrolet pickup pulling what appeared to be the stolen trailer and lawn mower, the affidavit alleged.

“I received information that Stephen Hearrell of Drumright is the one that had taken the mower and trailer. The anonymous person also reported that he had taken steps to change the color and image of his truck because pictures of him and his truck pulling the trailer with lawn mower had been posted to Facebook and publicly shared,” the investigator alleged in his affidavit.

On Aug. 13 at 5 p.m., the Payne County sheriff’s investigator located the truck at Hearrell’s residence in Drumright, the affidavit alleged. The maroon truck had been spray-painted black and a toolbox taken out of it was visible in Hearrell’s yard, the affidavit alleged.

Hearrell initially claimed that he was out of town working on the day the trailer was stolen, the affidavit said. “He told me that he had loaned his truck to an acquaintance who stays in the Drumright, Oilton, Jennings area,” but that person was ruled out as a suspect due to an alibi, the investigator wrote in his affidavit.

On Aug. 16 at 8:26 a.m., the investigator along with a team of deputies from the Payne County and Creek County sheriff’s offices served a search warrant at Hearrell’s residence where the Pickens Real Estate and Auction stolen enclosed trailer was recovered from behind Hearrell’s house, the affidavit alleged.

When the Payne County sheriff’s investigator and Creek County Sheriff’s Detective Dan Brashears interviewed Hearrell, “He admitted to sealing the lawn mower and trailer from Cushing. He also admitted to stealing a white in color box trailer.

“He further admitted that he used Facebook Market Place to sell the trailer and lawn mower,” for $800 and $1,200 respectively, the affidavit alleged.

“He told me that the people that purchased the trailer and mower were separate yet they both lived in the Tuttle and Oklahoma city area,” the Payne County sheriff’s investigator alleged in his affidavit.

When Hearrell was again interviewed at the Payne County Sheriff’s Office, “He went into detail about the thefts and continued to be cooperative and admitted to stealing all of the items,” the affidavit alleged.

“Other items of contraband to include methamphetamine and a shotgun were seized under the warrant. Just prior to our arrival to Stephen’s residence to serve the search warrant, Stephen was using a grinder and had ground the serial numbers from the trailer and was attempting to cut the tongue off of the trailer. He further attempted to disguise the trailer by spray-painting over all of the marking on the trailer showing the name of the auction company and attempted to cover the paint up with corrugated metal roofing sheets,” the Payne County sheriff’s investigator alleged in his affidavit.

On Oct. 3, 2013, Hearrell had pleaded guilty to knowingly concealing stolen property in 2012 in Kingfisher County, for which he was placed on probation for five years, the affidavit alleged.

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