LITCHFIELD -- A 44-year-old Hutchinson woman was arrested after numerous law enforcement agencies served a search warrant on a rural Franklin residence and located thousands of dollars of horse tack equipment.
According to a news release from Meeker County Sheriff Jeff Norlin, Dena Joy Rodacker is being held in the Renville County Jail pending formal charges. The search warrant was served Saturday at 73265 640th St., Franklin, by officers from the Meeker, Wright, Carver and Renville county sheriff's offices.
The arrest came after a rural Litchfield man, who had several thousands of dollars worth of tack stolen in December, recognized one of his stolen saddles, worth $4,000, for sale online. Alan Koch alerted the Meeker County Sheriff's office, which began an undercover online conversation with Rodacker to gather further information.
With that information and other information from separate investigations of burglary and theft of horse tack throughout central Minnesota, law officers obtained the warrant to search the Franklin residence, where tack including saddles, bridles, horse pads, stirrups, girths, breast-collars, horse blankets and other items were seized.
The investigation into the burglaries and thefts is continuing, according to the news release.
