A Dowagiac man is in custody this week, following a year-long investigation by authorities into the theft of several snowmobiles in the Sister Lakes area.

William Elder, 54, was arraigned last Thursday in Van Buren County, where he was charged with two counts of unlawfully driving away of a vehicle, one count of larceny of more than $1,000, and one count of falsely reporting a felony. He was arrested last Wednesday for these charges, after the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s Office issued a warrant for his capture.

According to police, Elder is accused of stealing three snowmobiles and a trailer from Lakes Marine at 65780 94th Ave., in Keeler Township, back in December of 2013. Authorities with the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office continued their probe into the theft through this fall, when they began to suspect Elder, a former employee of the company, of the crime.

Deputies were able to recover two of the snowmobiles, a 1997 and 1999 Skidoo Bombardiers, and the trailer, a 2001 Rancho Snowmobile Trailer, from a property on the 57000 block of Wilbur Hill Road in Cass County. The other snowmobile, a 2009 Skidoo Bombardier Snowmobile, remains missing.

Anyone with information about this incident or other criminal activity is urged to contact the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office at (269) 657-3101, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-342-7867, Silent Observer at (269) 343-2100, or their local police department.