Mission man sentenced for stealing road grader, driving it to Valentine
A 35-year-old Mission man who stole a road grader from the Todd County Maintenance yard and drove it to Valentine last year has been sentenced to five months in federal prison.
MISSION, S.D. — A 35-year-old Mission man who stole a road grader from the Todd County Maintenance yard and drove it to Valentine last year has been sentenced to five months in federal prison.
Calvin Hunger was convicted in South Dakota of interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.
According to court records, Hunger unlawfully entered the Todd County Maintenance yard in Mission, took the road grader and drove it through a fence before heading south on the highway. GPS tracking later showed the grader traveling into Nebraska.
Shortly after midnight on June 26, Valentine police say they were alerted that the stolen equipment had entered city limits. Officers located the road grader in the parking lot of Circle K Motors, near the Bunkhouse Restaurant and Saloon. Police reported Hunger was sitting in the driver’s seat with the engine still running. According to court documents, he was ordered out at gunpoint and taken into custody.
Investigators said Hunger is a former roads department employee who knew how to operate the equipment and had access to a set of department keys.
Hunger also faces a theft by unlawful taking charge in Cherry County, Nebraska.