BILLINGS — A 37-year-old man is in custody for attempting to buy stolen motorcycles and ATVs, according to charging documents filed in Yellowstone County District Court.
Prosecutors allege that Daryl Craig Nordquist, who is facing felony theft charges, purchased two dirt bikes and an ATV even though he had gotten the feeling “that they were stolen” during the transaction.
Nordquist is the current coroner of Big Horn County.
Court documents say the victim of the theft reported a cargo trailer stolen the weekend of April 27. Inside the trailer were 4 motorcycles and 2 ATVs with a total estimated worth of over $23,000.
The victim told police he was in contact with Nordquist who said he might know where the stolen items were located, telling him he had two of the dirt bikes and one of the ATVs and arranged a meeting on April 29 at the Town Pump in Lockwood.
Nordquist was handcuffed at that meeting by a detective with the street crimes unit after the VIN number of the stolen items came back as reported stolen.
Nordquist said he purchased the vehicles without titles from someone named “Josh.” He told police he also never checked with police to see if the vehicles were stolen even though he had a feeling they might be.
Nordquist was taken into custody and on Monday was being held at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility on felony theft charges.
Investigators later traced the contact that Nordquist provided to them regarding who sold him the stolen trailer, motorcycles and ATVs where the trailer was recovered at a property at the 1000 block of S. 48th Street W.
After interviewing additional suspects who told investigators that Nordquist did know the vehicles were stolen property.
