A 43-year-old Lakeside man who stole more than $180,000 worth of construction equipment from a Kalispell business and transported it to Idaho was sentenced today to three years and five months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Eric Brandon Wright pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property before U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy.
According to court documents, Wright stole $181,890 worth of construction equipment from RDO Rental Equipment in Kalispell.
Wright on the night of Aug. 23 and into the early morning hours of Aug. 24 in 2023 stole digging and mulching equipment from RDO along with a Towmaster trailer, which he then hooked up to an employee’s vehicle to haul the equipment from the business. The employee’s vehicle was found a few days later, but a motorized wheelchair that was stored inside was missing, records state.
Law enforcement on Jan. 19, 2024 received a tip that Wright was selling construction equipment on Facebook, which they tracked to a storage facility in Lewiston, Idaho. The facility’s owner confirmed to detectives Wright had been renting storage space.
Officers on Jan. 30, 2024 arrested Wright on an unrelated outstanding warrant and questioned him about the RDO theft, which he denied and said he bought the equipment from someone in Missoula.
Using cell phone data and surveillance video, investigators linked Wright’s truck to RDO the night of the theft.
Officers were also called to the residence of Wright’s uncle in Dalton Gardens, Idaho for a separate theft report where they discovered the missing Towmaster trailer. The defendant’s uncle was using an electric wheelchair similar to the one stolen from the employee’s vehicle, according to documents.
The Kalispell Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation.