Driver of stolen farm tractor gets jail sentence

March 15--A North Fairfield man who was injured while driving a stolen farm tractor was sentenced to 90 days in jail Thursday.

Scott A. Bivens II, 20, of 694

W . Townline Road 131, will be serving the three-month term on the work release program at the Huron County Jail. As part of his three years of basic probation, he will be supervised at a high level and must pay a $500 fine.

Bivens earlier pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property.

"He was not prison eligible," Huron County Assistant Prosecutor Richard Woodruff said.

About 3:30 a.m.Oct. 26, the Huron County Sheriff's Office received an anonymous call about an overturned tractor and an injured person on Townline Road 12. The accident happened in Greenfield Township.

Deputies responded to the crash site, but didn't locate anybody. A wrecker removed the tractor, which was still running when officers arrived, from the scene.

"He (Bivens) was riding the tractor," Woodruff said.

When the defendant stopped, the wheels locked up and Bivens "was thrown off the tractor," Woodruff continued.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation processed the scene. Detectives Kayla Zander and Rich Larson investigated the case.

Detective Bill Duncan has said investigators determined the tractor was stolen from a residence in the area of the crash. The tractor was worth between $14,000 to $15,000.

The same evening of the crash, Bivens was treated at a local hospital. Detectives interviewed him and secured enough evidence to make an arrest.

"The tractor was recovered. It flipped over," said Woodruff, who added the victim's insurance company allowed him to buy a new tractor.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Reporter Scott Seitz contributed to this story.

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