MADERA, Calif. (AP) - Authorities have arrested a Central California man they say used a stolen backhoe to crush a vacant mobile home that was not slated for demolition.
The Fresno Bee reports (https://bit.ly/Sn5UMj ) Madera County deputies caught 51-year-old Richard Newman in the act of demolishing the home with the excavator, which went missing from a rental company last week.
Newman told deputies he didn’t steal the John Deere backhoe - he just borrowed it and was planning to return it after completing his job.
The manager of the bank-owned property says Newman was not hired to do any job - especially not to demolish the home.
Newman was booked into Madera County Jail, with bail set at $45,000.
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Information from: The Fresno Bee, https://www.fresnobee.com
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