On 3/18/2012 at around 18:42hrs, the Italy Police Department was dispatched by the Ellis County Dispatch to I-35E in regards to a stolen road grader out of Grand Prairie with an owner installed GPS tracking unit.

Ellis County Dispatch kept Italy officers updated with the direction of travel and approximate location as the GPS unit showed the stolen equipment traveling south on I-35E towards Italy and then stationary in the 100 block of LR Campbell Road.

Officers then located the equipment in the parking lot of a local truck stop being towed by a Semi Tractor and Trailer. Officers observed a male outside of the truck and immediately detained him and secured the stolen equipment. The male was later identified as Gonzalo Rico Jr., 34 yoa, from Laredo.

The Grand Prairie PD responded to the Italy Police Department to take custody of Rico and he was transported to their agency to face Felony theft charges. The semi-truck, trailer and stolen equipment was impounded by Helms wrecker service. A hold was placed on the truck and trailer and the stolen equipment will be released to the owner.

The reporting person, who is the construction project manager for Hayden Building Corp. had placed the GPS tracking unit on the equipment due to recent thefts from the construction site in Grand Prairie.