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VERNAL — A Vernal man is facing a felony charge accusing him of digging up 33 dump truck loads of dirt from a victim's property and then selling it.
The 49-year-old man was charged Tuesday in 8th District Court with theft, a second-degree felony.
For approximately two months in 2024, the man "used heavy excavating equipment … under the guise of performing some property repairs/improvements for the victim," and removed "approximately 33 dump truck loads of dirt/earth from the victim's property" without the victim's permission, according to charging documents.
The man then sold the dirt to others to grade their driveways, the charges state.
Prosecutors say he took about 435 cubic yards of dirt, and damage was estimated at over $10,000, which included the cost to refinish the hillside where the dirt was removed.
Court documents do not list the address of the property from where the dirt was allegedly taken.
