2 arrested in theft of construction supplies

The two men accused of stealing materials Tuesday afternoon from the construction site of a Good Neighbor House in East Dayton told police they thought “finders-keepers” was the law.

Dayton police arrested Ryan Stansell and Zach Rainwater, both 27, on theft charges after they allegedly stole scaffolding, large pipes and other construction supplies from the site in the 600 block of East First Street.

Jenny Payne said she took a double-take when she saw what looked like a crime in progress.

“I looked out my windows and saw a couple guys with shopping carts loading up supplies from a job site,” said Payne, who called police. “They didn’t belong there. It was obvious what they were doing. I felt I needed to make the call.”

Payne directed police to the location of the suspects, where they told police that they didn’t realize they were breaking the law.

Police took them to the Montgomery County Jail, where they remained as of Tuesday afternoon.

Workers don’t expect thefts to slow down renovations on the Good Neighbor House, but Payne said she hopes the arrests will slow down future criminals.

“Instead of taking something that doesn’t belong to you why don’t you ask if you can have it instead?” she said.

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