HILLIARD, Ohio — A Hilliard man is facing several charges after allegedly selling a stolen trailer on Facebook.
The Hilliard Division of Police said an investigation revealed Jonathan Basnett was also in possession of numerous stolen vehicles, including a tow truck.
Officers served a search warrant in the 2700 block of Hilliard-Rome Road on Monday where they found suspected stolen car parts, tools and vehicles inside a garage rented by Basnett.
Hilliard police say the investigation began on Jan. 20 when a Union County man told officers he had traded his Kawasaki ATV for Basnett’s trailer but later learned the trailer was stolen.
The man’s ATV was among the items located this week at Basnett’s property, which also contained an ATV owned by a Circleville woman and a tow truck stolen from a Mount Vernon business.
Officers found more items on the property including credit cards and checkbooks, mail belonging to a Hilliard man who said he left his papers in his curbside trash and vehicle lockout tools used by law enforcement to help people.
“If a buyer or seller refuses to meet in public or the price is too good to be true, it probably is,” said Hilliard Police Chief Robert Fisher. “Shady sellers may request payment in gift cards, cash or other untraceable methods of payment so consider online payment methods such as PayPal.”
Fisher also encouraged people with trailers to store them in a safe, not easily accessible way. He said it is best to keep them inside or out of plain sight.
Basnett has been charged with receiving stolen property and a Franklin County Grand Jury will consider more charges.
