GEDDES, S.D. -- A Nebraska man was arrested Thursday and charged with stealing nearly $17,000 worth of soybeans from the Farmers Co-op Elevator in Geddes, S.D.
Jeff Eckert, 54, of Pilger, Neb., is charged with one count of grand theft. He is accused of stealing 1,175 bushels of soybeans worth $16,941.41, according to a release issued Thursday by the Charles Mix County Sheriff's Office.
A Geddes resident observed a semi with a trailer loading grain at the elevator at about 4:30 a.m. and reported it to authorities. A deputy stopped the truck eight miles from Geddes, the release said.
Eckert, who was later identified as the driver, was unable to produce the proper paperwork for the grain loaded in the semi and was arrested, the release said.
Grand theft is a felony with a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
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Eckert is scheduled to be in court later this month.
"This theft was squashed by a citizen that saw something suspicious and reported it," Charles Mix County Sheriff Randy Thaler said in the release. "This is an example of why it is important for suspicious or out of the ordinary activity to be reported to law enforcement."
