KTIV NewsChannel 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and SportsJury convicts Waterloo man of stealing metal
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Associated Press - November 1, 2009 10:04 AM ET
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) - A jury has convicted a Waterloo man of stealing more than $10,000 worth of metal parts and wire from a John Deere plant where he worked.
John Fitzgerald Bennett was found guilty Friday of first-degree theft and could later be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
Police had been investigating thefts from the tractor maker when they found Bennett's pickup truck loaded with copper wire and other metal items in a garage owned by Lonnie Joe Cochran. Investigators found receipts showing Bennett and Cochran had sold copper at local scrap yards in the summer and fall of 2008.
Bennett, a maintenance worker at John Deere, testified he had acquired the metal legitimately.
Cochran's trial is set for Nov. 17.
Information from: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, http://www.wcfcourier.com
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