Fayette man accused in utility vehicle theft from Westmoreland event venue

A Fayette County man is behind bars after police said they found him in possession of two stolen utility vehicles that had been repainted in an effort to conceal them, according to court papers.

Brandon Allen Earnesty, 30, of Saltlick, is charged with burglary, theft and receiving stolen property filed by Connellsville and state police.

Investigators said the two Kubota RTVs were reported stolen from event venue Stonehenge Lodge in Cook, Westmoreland County, on Wednesday. An employee there learned the vehicles were at Earnesty’s home about 11 miles away and went there to find one of them sitting in the driveway, according to court papers.

When several employees asked Earnesty about the stolen RTV, they told investigators that Earnesty got in it and moved it elsewhere on the property, according to court papers.

Police said the hood and bed of that RTV had been repainted. Investigators said they located the second stolen RTV after following tire tracks and finding it in a mud hole not far from Earnesty’s home. It also had been repainted, according to court papers.

Earnesty told authorities that he took the RTVs after learning about the vehicles from a man he claimed to have met at an area market. He intended to get “quick money” from the theft, according to court papers.

Earnesty was arraigned Thursday and jailed on $50,000 bail. He was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records.