Man found guilty in Waterloo backhoe theft

Published: 01/30/2013 @ 12:00 am

On January 30, 2013, after a jury trial in the Seneca County Court, Darrell Vandemortel, 43 years old, was found guilty of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, a class E felony. Vandemortel’s conviction resulted from the June 2011 theft of a backhoe from a property located on Waterloo-Geneva Road in the Town of Waterloo.During the three-day trial, testimony was received from the owner of the backhoe and two witnesses who observed defendant with the backhoe. The backhoe was never recovered, and the State Police believe it was disassembled and sold as scrap metal.Vandemortel will be sentenced by County Judge Dennis Bender on March 4. Seneca County D.A. Barry Porsch prosecuted the case.