A suspect was arrested on June 6 on charges that included theft by deception, after the Great Bend Police Department received a report that several large spools of wire cable used in oil field operations had been stolen.
Cortenay Damm said that $100,000 worth of equipment was removed from the property at 908 Macarthur Road. It took two semi loads to remove the heavy spools of “reda cable.”
Robert L. Streiner, 46, was booked on June 6 on Barton County District Court case #25-929, for possession of methamphetamine, with bond set at $10,000, and Barton County District Court case #25-924, for theft by deception, with bond set at $50,000.
Police Chief Steve Haulmark issued a news release about the case on June 13.
According to reports, a theft in progress was reported at 11:17 a.m. Friday, June 6, at 908 Macarthur Rd. Police officers responded, and the Barton County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Highway Patrol assisted at the scene until additional GBPD units arrived.
During the investigation, officers learned that the spools of wire cable had been stolen through a theft by deception. Although the suspect was not present at the scene, officers interviewed witnesses and obtained a vehicle and suspect description. Follow-up investigation led to Streiner as the primary suspect.
At approximately 3:16 that afternoon, a GBPD officer saw Streiner in a vehicle in the 2200 block of Adams Street. A traffic stop was initiated, during which K9 Niko was deployed for a free-air sniff. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed open containers of alcohol and a crystal-like substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine. Streiner was taken into custody after admitting to both the theft and possession of narcotics, according to the news release.
The driver of the vehicle, Cindy Blake, 50, was placed under arrest for transporting open containers of liquor. Upon arrival at the Barton County Jail, deputies reportedly discovered a concealed bag of methamphetamine on her person. She was subsequently booked for introduction of contraband into a correctional facility, possession of methamphetamine and transporting an open container of liquor.
Over the following weekend, investigators located portions of the stolen property at a business in Stockton, with the remaining items found at a separate business in Kearney, Nebraska. GBPD has been in contact with the victim and both business owners to arrange for the return of the stolen property.
Damm, who leases the property to the owner of the cable, said the individuals who removed the spools haven’t been arrested. He believes Streiner told them where it was and “sold” it for $5,000.
“He never touched it. He just sold the Brooklyn Bridge,” Damm said. “They didn’t get the real crooks.”
Most, if not all of the cable was recovered from licensed scrap dealers who purchased it legally, he said.
