A Trout Run man is in County Prison accused of causing more than $160,000 in damage to construction equipment the night of Aug. 30 near Hagermans Run, Narrow Mountain and Upper Grays Run roads near Trout Run.
Chief Lycoming County Det. William Weber and members of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Bureau of Forestry arrested Tanner James Long, 21, of 225 Bodines Road, Trout Run, Thursday afternoon.
Long faces seven counts of criminal mischief; two of which are felony charges.
On Aug. 31, state officials received reports of "extensive damage" to construction equipment. The equipment, which was parked at various work sites along Hagermans Run Road, had been "moved and smashed into one another," according to court records.
Damaged equipment was found at a location less than a mile north of Route 14 on Hagermans Run Road. There, a John Deere track excavator, owned by Duane Runkle Excavating, had its window smashed out.
According to police, Long allegedly used the excavator to knock down a large yellow birch.
More damaged equipment was found about a mile from the intersection of Hagermans Run and Narrow Mountain roads.
There, a bulldozer was used to push a 1,000-gallon fuel tank out of a containment area and into a large pile of rocks. An off-road dump truck was smashed into the rear of an excavator, causing damage to both vehicles.
A track excavator was moved about 40 yards, and had a side window smashed out, and the bucket of another excavator was used to flip over a bulldozer.
On Oct. 2, Krystle Richardson told authorities that she overheard Long at a recent party, bragging about flipping a bulldozer with a tack hoe and said her boyfriend, Jon Minteer, had been present when Long damaged the equipment.
Minteer informed police that he was with Long and two others on the night of Aug. 30. According to Minteer, the group traveled up into Grays Run and possibly Bodines Mountain Road, before stopping to let Tanner out.
As the others dozed in the car, Tanner allegedly started and drove the various pieces of equipment into one another.
Minteer said he was awakened by the noise and tried to pull Long out of a piece of equipment. Minteer said he was allegedly able to get the keys and throw them over the bank before he and the rest of the party headed home, leaving Long near the work site.
Long, who authorities said has "admitted his involvement," was arraigned before District Judge James H. Sortman on Thursday afternoon. He was jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail.
