MIAMI COUNTY, Kan. (KCTV) – A Paola man is behind bars after a standoff with deputies, one of two separate theft investigations.
The Miami County Sheriff’s Office says Benjamin R. Falk, 51, of Paola, was taken into custody Friday after barricading himself inside a detached garage in the 300 block of E. Shawnee St. in Paola.
The Sheriff’s Office notes that deputies recovered around $15,800 in stolen equipment from Falk’s vehicle, an attached trailer and the garage.
The arrest stemmed from an attempt-to-locate request from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, which reported a vehicle suspected of traveling into Miami County following a theft.
When deputies made contact with Falk, they say he ran into the garage and barricaded himself inside. After a brief standoff, he surrendered and was taken into custody.
Investigators say items found in the vehicle and trailer had been stolen from a Cass County victim.
File- Miami County, Kansas, Sheriff’s Office(Miami County Sheriff’s Office)
They also note that additional stolen equipment was discovered inside the garage. Falk was booked into the Miami County Jail. Charges in that case remain pending.
In a separate, unrelated investigation, deputies indicate that they recovered a stolen Grasshopper lawn mower valued at more than $4,000.
The Sheriff’s Office says it took a report of the stolen mower on Wednesday, July 22. The following day, investigators developed information pointing to a home in the 32300 block of W. 379th St.
Investigators say the mower was recovered from that address on Friday, July 24. That investigation remains ongoing, and formal charges are expected once it is complete.
Combined, the two investigations resulted in the recovery of nearly $20,000 in stolen property.
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