Staff Report

Anton Zubchenko

PIERCETON — An Illinois man was arrested for allegedly stealing two UTVs from a Pierceton business.

Anton Zubchenko, 37, River Grove, Ill., is charged with two counts of auto theft, both level 6 felonies.

On May 26, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a theft report at Loose Moose Motorsports in Pierceton. Upon arrival, the deputy spoke with an employee, who said two utility task vehicles were stolen overnight.

According to court documents, the deputy noticed a fence on the property was cut and removed. Tire marks from the UTVs showed the vehicles left the property and went north into a nearby cornfield. Each of the vehicles, which were equipped with tracking devices, is valued at $20,000.

On May 29, a KCSO detective received a spreadsheet showing the tracking location data for each of the stolen vehicles. Both vehicles were tracked to locations in Illinois.

On May 31, KCSO detectives and a River Grove, Ill., detective, went to a residence where one of the vehicles was tracked to. Next to an unattached garage, detectives saw a roll cage belonging to one of the stolen UTVs. No one was home at the time of the detectives’ arrival.

Officers determined the residence belonged to Zubchenko and were granted a search warrant for the property. Officers later located both of the stolen vehicles, as well as Zubchenko.

Zubchenko told detectives he bought the UTVs from a person in Indiana a week prior for $10,000.

Zubchenko has already been arrested and released on bond. He has an initial hearing at 1 p.m. Sept. 30, in Kosciusko Superior Court Two.