Byfield man accused of stealing and selling tractors

Jan. 12—SALISBURY — A Byfield man accused of stealing and then selling tractors and a bulldozer last year was ordered held on $5,000 cash bail following his arraignment Monday in Newburyport District Court.

Dain Blackadar, 30, of Maple Street, Byfield, faces three counts of larceny over $250 from a person over 60 or disabled; larceny over $1,200 by false pretenses; larceny under $1,200 by false pretenses; and a separate larceny over $1,200 charge.

Essex County prosecutor Erin McAndrews said Blackadar stole the large pieces of farm equipment from his former employers while they were out of town in mid-2020 and then sold them for $4,000.

McAndrews went on to say that Blackadar has a long criminal history including larceny convictions and committed time in jail. She asked Judge Allen Swan to hold on $5,000 cash bail.

"There's just a history of larceny-type offenses," McAndrews said.

Blackadar's attorney, Dan Hutchinson, asked Swan to cap bail at $2,500, saying Blackadar's aunt would be able to post that amount. He also said the alleged victims are family members and that Blackadar has mental health issues.

Swan sided with McAndrews and ordered bail set at $5,000. The judge also ordered Blackadar to stay away from and have no contact with his alleged victims and their property. Blackadar is due back in court March 4 for a pretrial hearing.

The victims, according to Salisbury police Officer Jayson Davis' report, filed a complaint with police on Nov. 30, 2020, saying "several tractors and pieces of farm equipment" were stolen. They later saw one of the tractors at a Dock Lane address.

Davis spoke to the Dock Lane homeowner and learned that he bought the tractor from Blackadar for $1,000 and a truck back in June 2020. A check of the tractor showed the serial number matched the one the victims gave to police.

Blackadar told the man who purchased the tractor that his aunt gave him permission to sell it. The same man told police he thought he knew who might have bought other pieces of farm equipment from Blackadar. Police later confiscated the tractor, according to Davis' report.

Davis was able to track down a couple more of people who bought farm equipment from Blackadar, all of them believing he had permission to make the sales.

The victims later told Davis that they had not spoken to Blackadar in five years.

"He likely knew the equipment was there because he had helped (the victim) hay with it in the past," Davis wrote in his report.

As a result of his investigation, Davis charged Blackadar with stealing the farm equipment.

Staff writer Dave Rogers can be reached at drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.

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