$300,000 in stolen heavy equipment recovered in Buncombe Co.; suspect charged

BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WSPA) – Deputies in Buncombe County have arrested a man suspected in the thefts of heavy equipment from across the Carolinas.

The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office said they initially responded to assist in the recovery of a Takeuchi excavator which had been stolen from Charleston, South Carolina.

Investigators said they identified a suspect who had previously been suspected in the thefts of heavy equipment across Western North Carolina.

Deputies later searched a business on Carolina Mountain Road in the Candler community where they recovered more than $300,000 worth of stolen heavy equipment including excavators, skid steers, and trailers.

The suspect, 32-year-old Alexander Cochran Herlocker, was arrested and charged with five counts of felony possession of stolen goods, six counts of felony alter/remove a serial number, two counts of felony larceny, and possession of stolen property from a construction site.

Herlocker was booked into the Buncombe County Detention Facility and later released on $10,000 bond.