Charged plane thief indicted

Some of you may recall the story of the Cessna from Lakewood, NJ
last year. It's a nice airport, but If you fly there, it may be
a good idea to lock everything tight. A few years ago there was
a rash of avionics thefts; the thieves preferred Bendix-King
avionics and seemed to leave others alone.


A Minnesota man who allegedly stole a small plane from Lakewood
was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury.

Rick Demartini, 40, Lamberton, faces up to 10 years in prison if
he's found guilty of the crime of transporting a stolen aircraft
across state lines. During the theft, which was discovered on
Aug. 14, 2003, Demartini is alleged to have taken the plane to
Canada and Minnesota.

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office first learned of the theft
of the Cessna plane after it was reported stolen by a friend of
the plane's owner. The plane was being housed at Lakewood
Municipal Airport while the owner, Albert Paul, Ridgewood, was
out of town.

Following the notification of the Federal Aviation Administration
as well as the FBI, County Investigator Taryn Ritacco Schwartz
and Sgt. Paul Daly of the Lakewood Police Department embarked on
an investigating to find the plane.

Full story
http://www.app.com/observer/story/0,...031160,00.html