A 34-year-old Montana man has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $97,000 worth of heavy equipment from a Cache Valley property, a theft that investigators say was part of a coordinated operation stretching across state lines. Dallas Ford Allred appeared in Logan's 1st District Court, entering a guilty plea to theft, amended down to a third-degree felony, with sentencing scheduled for October 19.
The case traces back to July 19, 2024, when a landowner in Cache Valley reported that someone had made off with a specialized Cardinal Mule forklift valued at $85,000 and a 10-foot beige shipping container worth $7,500, according to Cache Valley Daily. Investigators identified a white 2021 Ford F-350 pickup pulling a flat-deck gooseneck trailer as connected to the theft, and the truck was registered to Allred in Montana. Detectives suspected the theft was part of a coordinated effort across state lines rather than an isolated incident.
Cell Records Placed Allred at the Scene
Investigators leaned on modern forensics to tie Allred to the crime. Verizon Wireless cellular location records obtained by law enforcement placed him in the immediate vicinity of the Cache County property at the exact time the machinery and container were stolen, according to KVNU. That digital trail helped detectives connect the Cache Valley theft to a broader pattern.
The station's report notes that Cache County sheriff's deputies linked the incident to similar machinery thefts in Brigham City, Utah, along with cases in Idaho Falls and Jefferson County, Idaho, pointing toward a multi-state theft operation. The scope of that connected activity suggests Allred's case may not be the last one tied to the ring, though the dossier does not indicate whether additional suspects have been identified.
Stolen Forklift Recovered, Container Still Missing
The break in the case came when deputies with the Lake County Sheriff's Office in Montana obtained and executed a search warrant on Allred's property. Officers located the stolen Cardinal Mule hidden inside a separate shipping container on-site, but the original 10-foot beige container taken from Cache Valley has not been recovered.
A Cardinal Mule is a motorized forklift-style machine built by Cardinal Manufacturing specifically to maneuver portable storage containers weighing up to 12,000 pounds without needing a large delivery truck, according to Cardinal Manufacturing. That specialized function is part of why the equipment carries such a high price tag and why it's a target for organized theft rings that move stolen machinery across state lines to avoid detection.
Plea Deal Cuts Potential Prison Time
Allred's guilty plea to a third-degree felony represents a significant reduction in his legal exposure. Under Utah Code § 76-6-412, theft of property exceeding $5,000 is classified as a second-degree felony punishable by 1 to 15 years in prison, according to Susanne Gustin Law — a threshold Allred's alleged $97,000 total loss would have far exceeded. Instead, the amended third-degree felony charge carries a statutory penalty of zero to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000, plus a potential 90% state court surcharge under Utah Code § 51-9-401.
Utah's 1st Judicial District Court, headquartered in Logan, serves Cache, Box Elder, and Rich counties and handles district-level felony prosecutions like Allred's, per Cardon & Stuart Law. Whether Allred faces additional charges in Idaho or Montana, or whether any accomplices in the theft ring have been identified, remains unclear ahead of his October sentencing.
Part of a Larger National Pattern
Cases like Allred's reflect a costly and persistent problem for the construction and equipment industries nationwide. National Insurance Crime Bureau and National Equipment Register data show that heavy equipment theft causes between $300 million and $1 billion in direct annual industry losses across the U.S., with less than 25% of stolen equipment ever recovered, according to LiveViewGPS.
Industry risk research indicates the average heavy equipment theft results in more than $30,000 in losses, with recovery complicated by the fact that machinery lacks standardized vehicle identification numbers and is frequently transported across state lines almost immediately after being stolen, per SentryPODS. That pattern lines up closely with how the Cache Valley case unfolded, with the stolen forklift eventually surfacing hundreds of miles away on Allred's Montana property while the shipping container that carried it away has yet to be found. Whether Allred will be ordered to pay restitution for the still-missing $7,500 container is expected to be addressed when he returns to court for sentencing.
