SAARIE AND HIS STOLEN POLARIS RANGER; THE REPORT

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story will appear in print in the July 9 issue of The Courier.

Three individuals have been arrested and are facing state felony charges that include possession of stolen property after a UTV was recovered from their property northwest of Freeman last week.

Officials have not publicly named the individuals. Neither an email nor a phone call to the Hutchinson County State’s Attorney were returned late last week, and the Clerk of Courts said she could not provide any information without names or a case number.

Additional information will be updated online at freemansd.com when it is received.

Stolen Polaris

In a case that saw considerable public attention thanks to social media, a black and red Polaris Ranger belonging to Blaine Saarie that had been parked at his business, Saarie Auto Body, was stolen during an overnight thunderstorm around 1:40 a.m. Monday, June 23, according to surveillance video picked up from cameras on the property.

The investigation into the matter began around 10:45 a.m. the next morning when Saarie discovered the vehicle was missing when he went to install a windshield and couldn’t find it. Saarie said he had left the keys in it the day before because he was going to get it but forgot.

“That’s on me,” he said.

After reviewing the video picked up by his cameras, Saarie contacted Freeman Police Chief Barron Nankivel at 11 a.m., and by “11:15 he was at my door.”

Saarie then posted the following to Facebook, along with the video picked up by his cameras:

“**REWARD** STOLEN: My 2013 Polaris Ranger last 6 of the VIN 162716 was stolen from in front of Saarie Auto Body this morning. At 1:40 a.m. it appears a light colored (2001?) Ford or Dodge Extended cab pickup possibly dropped off a person on a bicycle at the end of the driveway across from our shop. They rode the bike up to the ranger, put it in the back of the ranger, and drove off to the west on North County Road. The person of interest appears to be a male and was wearing a knitted beanie. There is a $500.00 reward for information leading to the arrest of this person. Tell and show everyone you can please.”

The reward for a tip that would lead to an arrest was later increased to $1,000.

Nankivel said the investigation included a look at additional security footage captured by nearby cameras, including one at JH Diesel and Ag Repair further to the west on the North County Road, which confirmed that the vehicle did, in fact, head west out of town.

“That was the last visual we had,” he said.

Meanwhile, multiple tips began rolling in of a vehicle matching the description of the stolen UTV northwest of Freeman, but Nankivel said every time he responded to the reported location, it was gone.

“Even if they didn’t pan out, those tips were helpful,” he said. “I would like to thank the public for that.”

Recovery

Then on Monday, June 30 — one week after the investigation began — the case got cracked when Saarie was notified by a credible source who is not being named that he spotted the UTV at 432nd Ave. and 272nd St., which is about 13 miles northwest of Freeman.

Saarie then contacted Nankivel, who told The Courier that those who stole the Polaris were trying to exchange it for another vehicle.

“This individual had been invited to a property to potentially trade for it,” Nankivel said. “No trade happened, but after seeing it, he contacted Blaine.

“That confirmed my suspicions,” he continued. “Given all the earlier tips in that general area, I submitted a request for a search warrant.”

That was approved by Hutchinson County Judge Patrick Smith at 11:52 a.m. on June 30 and executed by Nankivel and Hutchinson County Deputy Cody Fischer shortly after noon. Meanwhile, Hutchinson County Sheriff Maurice Waltner took position in the parking lot of the Salem MB Church just to the west to help secure the property.

“Nothing high tech,” Waltner said. “We just wanted to make sure nobody tipped them off that we were coming, so I had the yard under surveillance for anybody coming or going.”

After a search of the property, Nankivel found the Polaris under a tarp, and the arrest of three individuals was made without incident. They were booked in Davidson County and have since been released on $1,000 cash bond, according to Waltner.

The vehicle has a considerable amount of cosmetic damage.

“Nothing that can’t be fixed,” Nankivel said.

“They tried to disguise it,” said Saarie, who took to Facebook again on July 1 with this update.

“Our Polaris Ranger has been found. A big THANK YOU to everyone, the Facebook shares and everyone talking and asking questions. I had a lot of calls and leads on who and where it might be. Yesterday morning I got a call that was very credible. And it went like a wildfire from there. It’s in rough shape but repairable, appears to be mostly cosmetic. Again thank you everyone!! I wish I could say more on this crime but it is an ongoing investigation at this time.”

Perspective

Saarie said he was upset after discovering what had happed — that he felt “violated.”

“I had this sick feeling that someone would do this to me,” he said. “I don’t know these people; I’ve heard their names, but I don’t even know what they look like. I actually wanted to talk to them; what did I do to you? Have I offended you in some way.”

Law enforcement is hopeful that justice will be served, and both Nankivel and Waltner say this bad situation turned out as well as possible thanks to an ability to work together.

“I appreciate the people who put in effort to look at their cameras, because that does take time,” said Saarie. “That’s not necessarily and simple thing.”

“This is one of those perfect instances where the public played a very, very big part in helping us narrow down the location,” Nankivel said. “And then, of course, our anonymous caller.”

“I think it was great that the public was involved through Facebook and social media,” said Waltner. “And I do believe the reward was a big factor in the solving of this crime.”

Nankivel noted the strong working relationship city police have with Hutchinson County law enforcement, and Waltner had high praise for Nankivel.

“We work very well with Barron and I’d like to publicly thank him for his hard work,” said Waltner. “He is doing a great job as chief.”

“I was very, very, very pleased with how law enforcement handled it locally and county-side — just awesome,” Saarie said. “People of Freeman should feel that they are protected. This was a theft, and if they take a theft this serious, you know how they will respond to something bigger.”