Two Howard County men accused of stealing a 2018 Caterpillar skid steer and tools recently were arrested in Seymour.

Jacob Matthew Hartsch, 22, and Joshua Suiter, 35, both of Kokomo, each face a Level 5 felony charge of theft over $50,000; a Level 6 felony charge of possession of methamphetamine; and a Class A misdemeanor charge of possession of paraphernalia. Hartsch also faces a Class A misdemeanor charge of driving while suspended with a prior conviction within 10 years.

The two men — booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown on Thursday evening — were arrested by Seymour Police Department officers who had received information about a possible stolen trailer being in the Seymour area, according to a news release from Lt. C.J. Foster.

He said officers located the trailer in the 600 block of East Tipton Street and initiated a traffic stop. During the stop, officers learned the driver of the 2020 Dodge Ram pulling the trailer, later identified as Hartsch, had a suspended driver’s license.

The officers also learned the trailer had been stolen from the Kokomo area, Foster said.

Officers with the Howard County Sheriff’s Office also reported several hand and power tools had been stolen along with the trailer, Foster said.

While doing an inventory of the Dodge Ram, Seymour officers found methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, rental paperwork that showed the truck was to have been returned to the rental company several days earlier and a large amount of hand and power tools, Foster said.

Seymour officers are working with the Howard County Sheriff’s Office to return the stolen items to the rightful owner, he said.

Both Hartsch and Suiter remain in the jail.