Three teenagers charged with property offences after allegedly stealing a mini digger

Detectives have uncovered $45,000 of allegedly stolen items at a farm house and arrested three teenagers on a raft of property charges.

Three teenagers have been charged after about $45,000 of equipment was reported stolen from a regional Queensland concreting business.

While business owner Paul Dolley was inside his shed on Saturday, starting up for the day ahead, unbeknownst to him a silver dual cab drove into their backyard, reversed, hooked up one of their trailers with their recently purchased mini-digger, and drove off.

The brazen act was all caught on CCTV, however, Mr Dolley said he did not realise the digger and trailer was missing until Monday, and immediately called the police about it.

A mini digger and trailer were stolen from a Harristown property on Saturday morning, and have been recovered as part of a police operation that saw three teenagers charged with a raft of offences.

Mr Dolley put out a $1000 reward in the hopes of getting the digger back, as he had only bought the equipment four weeks earlier.

He said the experience was “frustrating” and put out the reward hoping it might “spark a bit of information or get some people out of the woodwork”.

“It might be time to start tracking your machines and putting trackers in all your equipment and vehicles,” he said.

Toowoomba South MP David Janetzki joined Mr Dolley at the business on Thursday calling for more support for the victims of crime in Queensland, allowing them the right to sentencing provisions, and $175m for early intervention.

Paul Dolley from Dolley Concreting fell victim to a teenager crime spree which resulted in three teens being charged after police discovered Mr Dolley's mini-digger and trailer at an unused farmhouse in Southbrook. July 25, 2024. Picture: Christine Schindler

“People have had a gut full of crime,” he said

The equipment, a mini excavator and a trailer, was found at an unused farm house in Southbrook along the Gore Highway, about 30km southwest of Toowoomba on Wednesday, police said in a statement on July 25.

Police also found two 17-year-old boys and a 16-year-old boy at the property, and allege they stole the mini excavator from a storage yard in Harristown.

All three teenagers are scheduled to appear at Toowoomba Children's Court on Thursday, July 25.

A 16-year-old Harristown boy is facing 25 charges including six counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, five counts of enter dwelling, five counts of receiving tainted property and two counts each of enter premises and stealing of a vehicle and one count each of attempted enter dwelling, armed with intent to break and enter, trespassing, dangerous driving and unlicensed driving.

A 17-year-old South Toowoomba boy is facing 20 property offences including four counts each of burglary and unlawful use of a motor vehicle, three counts each of enter premises and possession of house breaking implements and two counts each of stealing, receiving tainted property and stealing of motor vehicle.

A 16-year-old Centenary Heights boy has been charged with four counts of unlawful use of motor vehicle, three counts of possession of dangerous drug and one count each of possession of tainted property and unlicensed driving.