By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

A pickup, a four-wheeler, and numerous pieces of outdoor equipment stolen from Carquest and AgPower in Hillsboro were found after a high speed chase came to an end at gunpoint Tuesday morning in a field near Peabody.

The stolen equipment had been loaded earlier in the day onto a trailer stolen from McPherson. The trailer was pulled by a truck also stolen from McPherson.

Harvey County deputies gave chase after the truck entered Harvey County from the north.

Harvey County Undersheriff Shawn Chapman said the stolen truck apparently was equipped with a GPS tracker. The sheriff’s department was notified the stolen truck was southbound and entering Harvey County.

Justin Winter, 37, Pratt, the alleged driver of the truck, was arrested by Harvey County deputies just southwest of Peabody.

Most of the items were recovered, Carquest store manager Bob Williamson said.

Williamson said the four wheeler and some of the outdoor equipment belonged to customers.

“We’d been talking about getting more security cameras, and we’re talking even more,” Williamson said.

McPherson County Undersheriff Skyler Christians said deputies took a report Tuesday morning that the truck and trailer had been stolen from the Frank Black Pipe and Supply Co. in McPherson.

Chapman said Winter was arrested on a Reno County warrant for failure to appear in court, and on suspicion of possession of stolen property, fleeing and eluding law enforcement, reckless driving, and driving while his license was suspended. Bond was set at $9,000 for the alleged offenses from Harvey County.

Williamson thanked Hillsboro police, Harvey and Marion County deputies, and the highway patrol.

Acting sheriff Larry Starkey said the thefts could be related to a string of other big-ticket thefts in recent weeks.

If deputies interview Winter, they might be able to find a link, Starkey said.

A Smith and Wesson AR15 assault rifle with scope, a Springfield XD9 9mm service handgun, and a Winchester 30-30 lever-action rifle, together valued at $2,000, were reported stolen Feb. 19 from inside a pickup parked in a field near 280th and Falcon Rd.

The thief smashed a window to get into the pickup.

According to transmissions, Seth Bartel, who owns the guns, told dispatchers that the vehicle had been left in the field the day before because it had a flat tire.

Starkey said Bartel didn’t say why the guns were left in plain view in the pickup.

The weapons have not been found, Starkey said.

A car trailer and pickup stolen Feb. 16 from Donald P. Meysing’s residence near 290th and Quail Creek Rds. were located and identified last week.

The trailer was found in a rural field. The pickup, a 2006 Ford F-250 valued at $3,000, was found in a McPherson parking lot.

A Bobcat skid steer valued at $20,000, also reported stolen by Meysing, has not yet been found.

Other big-ticket items recently reported stolen in the county include a 1971 Chevrolet Impala body and an International H-Series tractor frame, valued together at $2,200, between Feb. 1 and 13 from a field or woods near 310th and Pawnee Rds.

A Heartland North Country camper trailer valued at $12,000 and owned by JC Enterprises of Webster City, Iowa, was stolen between Jan. 8 and Feb. 1 from a rental storage area north of Canada.