Hillsboro men sentenced to community control in tractor theft case

Two Hillsboro men were sentenced to community control recently after pleading guilty to theft and receiving stolen property charges stemming from a joint indictment.

As previously reported, a four-count joint indictment was handed down by a Highland County grand jury in February against Tristen Nelson, 19, and Jaden Florence, 22. Both defendants were charged with theft, a fifth-degree felony; breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony; and receiving stolen property, a first-degree misdemeanor. Nelson was also charged with an additional fifth-degree felony count of receiving stolen property.

Florence and Nelson both pleaded guilty May 4 to one count of theft and the misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property, with the remaining charges dismissed.

According to a bill of particulars, in December 2022 the men allegedly stole a tractor, valued between $1,000 and $7,500, that was going to be sold at an auction on behalf of an area family. The tractor was recovered before the auction but had been damaged.

While investigating that incident, law enforcement also found an air compressor, which had been taken from a separate victim, in the suspects’ garage.

On June 7, Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced both defendants to three years of community control. Florence and Nelson were both ordered to pay restitution and court costs and to successfully complete a recommended treatment program, according to court records.