How a $20 tracker cracked a massive multi-county theft ring

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - A path of clues began with an unusual machine—a TimberKing Sawmill, originally purchased by the St. Louis County Parks Department to save money.

But how does a $56,000 piece of equipment save cash? By cutting expensive planks from fallen trees instead of paying to buy the premium wood. The department uses the wood for everything from benches to maintenance of Faust Park’s historic village.

“Between doors, windows, trim on buildings, sidings on barns, it’s an amazing tool," St. Louis County Park’s Tim Emmons said.

Forestry’s Jason Pratte said the savings are incalculable.

“We purchased this so we could better utilize urban wood waste instead of just putting it into a dump," he said. "We kept it under lock and key—what we believed was a secure location.”

Yet someone still stole it.

Pratte remembers asking himself, “Holy cow, this is real?”

The sawmill was stolen from a locked building in a nondescript area off Route 141 near Creve Coeur Lake Park. Despite Pratte placing an AirTag on the machine, it wasn’t showing its location.

“It always said no location found, no location found. I was starting to give up hope," he said.

Police now believe it was in Wildwood—a property on Ridge Road that looks like a junkyard. It remained there for three months without alerting GPS tracking because no one at the location had Apple technology nearby, which is necessary to activate the tracker.

Things changed after the sawmill was sold to a man in Hawk Point, who apparently owned an iPhone that activated the tracker. Pratte said it gave him exact GPS coordinates and a map.

Maryland Heights Police Detective Andrew Lucca went right to that buyer.

“He gave us the information, the gentleman who sold it to him for an unbelievable price," Lucca said.

Their investigation led them to the Wildwood property, where Lucca immediately found much more.

“Other items that were stolen from the Lou Fusz soccer fields, in plain view, including stolen golf carts (and) a John Deere Gator UTV," he added.

Additionally, they found two Bobcat skid loaders that were stolen from other counties. Each worth over six figures.

“Just a $20 AirTag tracker is what led, really, to this case being solved,” he said.

36-year-old Robert D. Crutcher and 35-year-old Melissa Faix are now charged with stealing from four different counties.

The sawmill is back in business.

“Amen to that, yes—it is a wonderful thing,” Emmons said.

With government workers proud to say they’re saving you money—and getting Faust Park ready for your spring visit.

“This is why I do my job; that’s why I’m a public servant," Pratte added.