The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged Dal William Wheeler, 39, of Lonedell for allegedly stealing a pickup from a Dittmer lawn care business. He also is accused of driving the pickup through the company’s front gate, according to court records.
Wheeler has been charged with stealing a motor vehicle, a class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison, and first-degree property damage, a class E felony that carries a penalty of up to four years in prison, court documents said.
Wheeler was arrested on April 30, and he was being held on a $5,000 bond, as of May 1, at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, according to jail records.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, a Ford F-250 was stolen at about 3 a.m. Aug. 1, 2024, from Precision Lawn Care & Landscaping LLC, 8417 Hwy. 30, in Dittmer. The front gate appeared to have been driven through, and the estimated cost to repair the damage was more than $1,500.
Investigators tracked the pickup through its GPS system to a home in Franklin County. Deputies with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office found Wheeler and recovered the F-250 at the home, the report said.
Wheeler allegedly told Franklin County Sheriff’s Office investigators that he stole the pickup because “he was tired of walking.” He also said the keys were inside the F-250, and he planned to use the pickup as a work truck, according to the report.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Neilson Lea is prosecuting the case.