Indiana State Police (ISP) arrested a man in connection with the theft of a truck and trailer from a truck stop in Jasper County on Wednesday.

On August 31, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and ISP responded to a reported semi truck theft at the Love’s Truck Stop located on S.R. 10 east of I-65.

The truck driver told officers that he went into the Love’s store and when he came out, his truck was gone.

Police were able to locate the truck and trailer at another truck stop in in Remington, Indiana, about 30 miles south from the Love’s where the theft occurred.

From ISP:

Officers soon determined that the vehicle was again traveling south on I-65 and notified troopers at the Lafayette Post.  Trooper Corey Brown located the vehicle traveling southbound near the 152 mile-marker in Clinton County.  Trooper Brown noticed that the vehicle had been altered from the original theft.  Numbers on the trailer had been freshly spray painted over, the license plates had been switched, and a different tractor had been hooked up to the trailer. A traffic stop was initiated on the vehicle and the driver was taken into custody without incident.

The arrested driver was identified as Kentucky resident Dalwy DeArmas Rodriguez, 36. He faces a preliminary charge of Possession of Stolen Property- Level 5 Felony.

The company that owns the product in the trailer said that it was all recovered and undamaged. The load was valued at $914,000.00.

Around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, an ISP trooper located the stolen tractor at the 232 mile marker on I-65. The truck was returned to the truck driver.

Cargo theft often spikes around the Labor Day holiday. Click here for tips on thwarting Labor Day cargo theft.