Local News

Men charged with stealing RV’s from Elkins business

ELKINS -- A Florida man and a man with Cuban identification were arrested by West Virginia state troopers Friday after allegedly stealing campers worth more than $200,000 from an Elkins business and being stopped on the West Virginia Turnpike.

Yankier Gaston Garcia, 31, of Lake Worth, Florida, is charged with grand larceny and conspiracy to commit grand larceny. Taylon Batista Garcia, 34, of the Republic of Cuba, was also charged with grand larceny and conspiracy to commit a felony. Bond for each man was set at $150,000 cash by Magistrate George M. Riggleman.

According to the criminal complaint, the two men were pulled over at about 5 a.m. Friday after four trucks hauling campers passed through both the US19 toll booth and the I77 Ghent toll booth without paying. Troopers were able to stop two "heavy duty rental trucks" -- which were driven by the two men -- which were hauling two RV's allegedly stolen from Roy's RV in Elkins.

Corp. D.R. Wolford Jr. of the Elkins detachment reviewed video surveillance footage Friday at Roy's RV, which according to the complaint shows four "heavy duty pickup trucks" pull into the parking lot of the business at about 12:45 a.m. Friday.

"All four trucks hooked to campers and stole the same from the Roy's RV lot by (1:08 a.m.)," the complaint states.

The four RV's were a 2020 Jayco North Point camper worth $96,350; a 2021 Grand Design Reflection camper worth $48,000; a 2020 Keystone Passport camper worth $37,995; and a 2020 Keyston Passport camper worth $35,505, according to the report.

Officers learned Yankier Gaston Garcia rented a white 2019 Dodge Ram in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Wednesday. The vehicle can be seen on surveillance video traveling though the I77N mile marker 12 license plate reader on Thursday at 10:50 p.m., the complaint states.

"Based upon the time from the rental, travel from Florida to West Virginia, and time frames entering West Virginia at Roy's RV and return to southern West Virginia, these subjects clearly had an intentional plan and conspiracy to travel to Roy's RV and steal said campers," Wolford writes in the complaint.

Media reports say troopers believe this incident is connected to the National Theft Ring, which involves stolen RV's taken throughout the southeastern U.S. and shipped to foreign countries.

An additional bond for Taylon Batista Garcia was set at $150,000 cash or surety on a charge from Mercer County.

The two men were booked at Southern Regional Jail at about 4:30 p.m. Friday.