Two men are charged with conspiring to steal fuel and various equipment from a commercial property in Sykesville.
Zachary James Garten, 20, of the 7500 block of Main Street in Sykesville, and William Gavin Melton, 26, of Ijamsville, are charged with theft $1,000 to less than $10,000, theft scheme $1,000 to less than $10,000, fourth-degree burglary, rogue and vagabond and multiple counts of conspiracy stemming from those charges, according to electronic court files.
Garten is being held at the Carroll County Detention Center on $25,000 bail, according to electronic court files. Melton is being held on $20,000 bail.
On April 22 and May 21, Sykesville Police Department officers responded to the 700 block of Oklahoma Avenue for reported thefts from a trailer owned by CSX Corporation, according to charging documents.
Several items were reported stolen on those dates, including 190 gallons of fuel, an air pump, a 50-gallon fuel tank, a pressure washer and hydraulic cylinders, according to the documents.
On June 3, the investigating officer attended a regional meeting at the Maryland State Police Westminster barrack and shared information regarding the investigation of the thefts, according to the documents.
On June 5, a state police trooper contacted the officer regarding Garten and Melton, who, he believed, stole a State Highway Administration vehicle and used it to transport some of the property stolen from CSX, according to the documents.
Garten and Melton were observed driving the vehicle and state police personnel seized the vehicle after the suspects parked it at a 7-Eleven store in Eldersburg and walked away, according to the documents.
Sykesville police inspected the recovered stolen vehicle and its contents, including a fuel tank and a fuel pump, which a representative from CSX later identified as the stolen property, according to the documents.
Further investigation revealed that some of the stolen property was pawned by Garten in Frederick, according to the documents.
