CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Two individuals were arrested Friday following a garage burglary that resulted in the theft of an all-terrain vehicle and multiple power tools worth over $10,000.
Jake Hess, 50, from Springville, and Shantae Martinez-Vargas, 35, of Cedar Rapids, are both charged with first-degree theft and burglary. Martinez-Vargas faces additional charges, including eluding police while speeding, driving with a suspended license, and failure to obey traffic signals, along with a second count of first-degree theft.
Authorities say the pair broke into a garage on the 200 block of Eighth Street SE on July 9. Stolen items include a red Kawasaki ATV equipped with a snowplow, a blue Miller welder, a power washer, and other tools totaling more than $10,000 in value. Both suspects’ fingerprints were found inside the garage, and Hess was found with the keys to the ATV at the time of arrest.
Martinez-Vargas’ additional charges stem from a separate incident on Thursday when she was caught driving a stolen truck worth over $10,000. Police reported she fled from officers at speeds up to 100 mph.
Both Hess and Martinez-Vargas were booked into Linn County Jail and had not yet appeared in court as of Friday morning.
