Tuolumne County District Attorney Laura Krieg announced today that Todd Pankey, 39, was convicted in a court trial by the Honorable Judge Donald Segerstrom, Presiding Judge, of a violation of Penal Code 496, Receiving Stolen Property, for a crime the defendant committed in late 2015 or early 2016. Deputy District Attorney Neal Albright prosecuted the case for the People.
In December of 2015, long-time Tuolumne County residents John and Myrna Moyle reported to the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office that a fifth-wheel trailer that they kept on a piece of land they owned had been burglarized. The Moyles further reported that they were missing several items they had stored inside of the fifth-wheel, including a red Honda electrical generator and two oversized propane tanks.
A few days later, in early January of 2016, the Moyles reported to TCSO that they had located most of the stolen items across the street, on a property where the defendant was living in a trailer. The Moyles recognized the items as their own in part because of the maintenance records that John Moyle had meticulously recorded in Sharpie pen on the side of the red generator. TCSO Deputies Paul Speers and Ashley Boujikian responded to the scene. Their thorough investigation revealed evidence that the items had been dragged from the Moyles’ trailer, down the hill, across Rawhide Road, and onto the property where the defendant was staying. It had recently rained, leaving the ground muddy; the propane tanks were covered in mud. The total value of the items was above $950, making the crime a felony. Although the defendant testified at trial that he had bought the items from a stranger at an estate sale a few days earlier, the court did not find the defendant’s story credible, and found him guilty of the charge.
DDA Albright would like to thank John and Myrna Moyle for their cooperation and time. He would further encourage the community to keep a close eye on their personal belongings, and to promptly report any suspected crime to law enforcement.
