A 25-year-old man was arrested Monday in Lubbock in connection with a federal investigation into the theft of surveying units in San Angelo, which were sold online to out-of-state buyers.

Abel Bani Reyna, who is being held at the Lubbock County Detention Center, appeared Wednesday for an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge D. Gordon Bryant.

Jail records show he was arrested Monday by Texas state troopers near the intersection of 130th Street and U.S. 87.

A federal grand jury in February returned an indictment charging Reyna with counts of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and interstate transportation of stolen property.

His charges stem from an investigation into the July 17, 2019 theft of Trimble surveying units and other equipment from vehicles parked in the 4000 block of W. Houston Harte Expressway in San Angelo.

Investigators believe Reyna was part of a conspiracy to steal the units that were then where sold a few months later on Ebay. One unit was reportedly sold for $7,945 to a buyer in Oregon, another unit was sold for $750 to a buyer in New York and another was sold for $6,800 to a buyer in Utah, the indictment states.

During Wednesday's initial appearance, Bryant told Reyna he was unable to make a decision on his bond since Reyna refused to speak with pretrial service officials without having an attorney present.

He is expected to return to Bryant's court on Friday for an arraignment and detention hearing.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Man accused stealing surveying equipment West Texas federal charges