Racine County Sheriff’s deputies say a 24-year-old man admitted to stealing snow blowers and other equipment from a Union Grove business and then pawning them in Illinois and Kenosha.
Evan Eskola, of Mount Pleasant, was charged Thursday with four misdemeanor counts of theft. If convicted, he
faces up to three years in prison and/or up to $40,000 in fines.
According to the criminal complaint, the owner of Aspen Property Care on Tuesday called the Racine County Sheriff’s Office to report a theft. When deputies arrived, they were shown surveillance video of a man – later identified as Eskola – loading a snow blower he didn’t pay for into the back of a car. The owner provided a list to investigators of additional missing inventory that included:
- 3 snow blowers ($500 each)
- 3 back pack leaf blowers ($500 each)
- 1 chainsaw ($500)
- 1 concrete saw ($1,300)
Police say a search of the North Wisconsin Property Reporting System revealed that Eskola pawned the equipment at locations in Winthrop Harbor and Beach Park, IL, and Kenosha. He used his Wisconsin driver’s license for each transaction.
When deputies executed a search warrant at Eskola’s home, he admitted to stealing the equipment but said he only remembered taking two snow blowers, the complaint reads. Video surveillance confirmed that he stole three snow blowers and two of the leaf blowers. Eskola said he sold the concrete saw to a private party for $160.
Eskola remains in the Racine County Jail on a $1,000 cash bond and a $4,000 signature bond. He will next be in court March 17 for a pre-trial conference.