Two Modesto men were arrested Friday morning, Feb. 7 as they were caught with a stolen dump trailer that appeared at American Recycling at 2070 Morgan Road in Ceres.

Officer Eric Souza was dispatched to the yard at 8:11 a.m. after the owner of the trailer said his black dump trailer had just been stolen on Crows Landing Road and the suspects had pulled it to American Recycling where they were trying to unload scrap metal with it at the recycling yard. The victim also advised police that the license plate on his trailer came from another stolen trailer taken from an address in Modesto on Jan. 17. 

Employees of the scrap yard attempted to help the victim detain the two suspects. As Officer Souza pulled up to the recycling yard both suspects ran off. One of the suspects, Robert Burgess, 25, of Modesto, was quickly surrounded by the victim and employees and surrendered.

The other suspect, 30-year-old Vernon Sanders of Modesto, ran eastbound towards the UPS facility at 1400 Hil-Mor Court where police apprehended him.

Sanders is on active probation.

Both men were arrested and booked for auto theft, possession of stolen property, probation violation, and resisting arrest.