BUCKHANNON – An Upshur County man was arrested recently for allegedly being in possession of a stolen tractor and brush hog.

Carroll Chapman, 46, of Buckhannon, was arrested Tuesday, Oct. 19 for receiving or transferring stolen property, a felony, in connection to an incident that allegedly occurred in early 2021.

According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by investigating officer Deputy Dakota Linger with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, on Jan. 14, 2021, Linger received a call from John Moss at the sheriff’s office at approximately 10:45 a.m. Moss said his John Deere 670 tractor, finish mower, four-foot brush hog and a 16-foot trailer was stolen from his property on Osborn Run Road.

Officers recorded the serial numbers for the equipment and took photos.

Then, six months later, on July 14, 2021, Upshur County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Mike Coffman and Sgt. Theron Caynor were driving down the Old Elkins Road and noticed a John Deere tractor that matched the description of the stolen tractor. Coffman and Caynor stopped and spoke to an individual present at the address, who informed the officer that the tractor reportedly belonged to Carroll Chapman, according to the report.

Based on that information, Coffman and Caynor then went to Plum Drive and spoke with Chapman. Chapman told Coffman and Caynor the tractor was his and he paid $2,500 for it and the brush hog. Coffman and Caynor then had the tractor to towed and released back to the owner.

Upshur County Magistrate Alan Suder set bail at $10,000 cash or surety and as of Saturday, Chapman was no longer listed on the West Virginia Regional Jail Authority website.

The penalty for receiving or transferring stolen property is confinement for not less than one but not more than 10 years or confinement for not more than one year and a fine of up to $250.