On May 1, 2025, the Baxter Police Department received a report of the theft of rental property from the Brainerd General Rental Center which is located in the City of Baxter, Crow Wing County, State of Minnesota. Baxter Officer Lasher talked to the owner of Brainerd General Rental identified as SGM (fully identified in police reports). SGM stated on April 30, 2025, they rented a Toro Dingo 525 walk behind skid steer, Stihl 18" bar chain saw and a 7 x10 utility trailer. The rental was for 24 hours.
The male party renting the machinery used a MN driver's license which listed a name of JSM to rent the equipment. The male attempted to use an online payment which had been rejected on April 28 on a separate rental agreement. The male then paid for the rental with a Visa card. The equipment had not been returned. Law enforcement then pinged the GPS unit on the skid steer. The ping came back to a location in Avon, Minnesota. Law enforcement then went to the pinged location and recovered the equipment.
The value of the skid steer is estimated to be at least $10,000. Officer Lasher then contacted JSM. He stated that he has never rented any equipment from the Brainerd General Rental in Baxter, MN. He also said he had not lost his driver's license. JSM was shown a picture of the driver's license used to rent the equipment on April 30. He stated all of the information on the driver's license was accurate as far as his information except the picture on the license was not him. Officer Lasher observed it appeared someone created a fake ID using JSM's information but changed the picture.
Officer Lasher uploaded the photograph from the fake driver's license in the system and it appeared to be a match to known photographs of Wayne William Neely, [DOB REDACTED], hereinafter defendant. Officer Lasher pulled up the defendant's driver's license photo from DVS and observed it appeared to be same photo as on the fake ID. Law enforcement obtained surveillance video from the Brainerd General Rental from April 30, 2025. The male renting the equipment appeared to match known photos of the defendant.
The defendant came to the store in a 2009 Ford Expedition. That vehicle was involved in the theft of equipment from Brained General Rental on April 28, 2025, and was previously determined to belong to an adult female identified as JLT (fully identified in police reports). From reviewing the surveillance photos from April 30, 2025, Officer Casanova believed JLT was in the front passenger seat of the vehicle when the defendant rented the equipment. On May 2, 2025, Officer Casanova talked to JLT. She ultimately admitted that she drove to the Brainerd General Rental on April 28, 2025, and rented a stump grinder, trailer and two chain saws.
She used a fake ID, bank account number and credit card in the application to rent the equipment. JLT stated she did this at the request of a male named "rooster". Rooster told her once he sold the equipment, he was going to give her $1,000. After renting the equipment, she left it in front of her house in the city of St. Cloud where rooster was going to pick it up. JLT said she thought Rooster's name was "Neely". She said she went back to the Brainerd General Rental with Rooster on April 30, 2025. They drove there in her 2009 Ford Expedition.
