Man broke into Cedar Rapids construction site, stole tools and tried to sell them, police say

CEDAR RAPIDS - A 39-year-old man faces theft and burglary charges after police say they found stolen property in his storage unit.

Michael A. Mease faces charges of second- and fourth-degree theft and third-degree burglary.

Police said Mease was caught on security footage Nov. 30 breaking into a trailer on a construction site at 3550 Stone Creek Circle SW in Cedar Rapids and stealing tools valued at more than $1,500.

He then tried to sell a stolen table saw on Facebook, police said. The owner was able to identify the table saw as belonging to him, they said.

Video obtained by investigators showed a vehicle leaving the scene during the early morning hours of Nov. 30.

That same vehicle was seen at a storage garage at 288 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE, where Mease unloaded tools into a unit.

Mease was taken into custody Dec. 18.

When investigators executed a search warrant at the storage garage, they said they found more stolen tools from another construction trailer that had been broken into between Nov. 25 and Dec. 2. Also, some of the tools recovered had been stolen from Nelson Electric, police said.

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