Photo: Francis “Frank” Pfeifer
A Marion County man is accused of stealing a backhoe from the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT) and using it to remove a trailer from a local trailer park last year. Forty-six-year-old Francis “Frank” Pfeifer of Pyatt has been in the Baxter County Detention Center since Sunday night on multiple charges.
According to the probable cause affidavit, an ArDOT supervisor reported in September a backhoe, valued at $60,000, was taken from a job on Arkansas Highway 5 South. Shortly after filing his report, the supervisor reportedly received a call from an individual stating he saw the backhoe being used at Midway Oaks Trailer Park. It was later located at the Baxter County Industrial Park with flat rear tires and other damages, and all ArDOT decals had been removed.
The manager of the trailer park told a Baxter County investigator the maintenance person stated the backhoe was used to remove an old trailer from the park, and in the process, a water line and a sewage tank lid were broken. The maintenance person said a man named Frank and another male were the men with the backhoe, and the contract submitted to the trailer park manager for payment identified Frank as Pfeifer.
The investigator and a Baxter County deputy were in Midway later that day on another case and reportedly ran across Pfeifer. The Marion County man said he and the other male had operated the backhoe at the trailer park, but he didn’t know where it came from. He also said the contract presented for payment was one of his used in his last tool-rental business.
The other male was an inmate in the Marion County Law Enforcement Center at the time. The interview was terminated when he asked to speak to his attorney.
Pfeifer was booked on felony counts of theft by receiving and first-degree criminal mischief. He also faces misdemeanor counts of theft of services, failure to appear and nonpayment of fines. Pfeifer’s bond is set at $27,390.
The ArDOT supervisor stated the damages to the backhoe and the amount of fuel used total $2,404.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI