A Red Wing man is charged with felony theft after allegedly selling thousands of dollars of his girlfriend’s family’s belongings without their permission.

Zachariah Taylor Copsey, 29, was ordered to pay $500 cash bail Oct. 27 on felony theft – movable property > $5,000-$10,000 and criminal damage to property charges in Pierce County Circuit Court. If convicted, the maximum penalty is a six-year prison sentence and/or fines up to $10,000.

According to the complaint:

At 9:07 a.m. June 19, a resident reported a theft at W7196 Highway 35 in the town of Isabelle. The complainant told dispatch his daughter and her boyfriend, Copsey, had been staying at his home and when he went there recently (he’d been staying elsewhere), he discovered several tools and valuable items missing from the pole shed. He believed Copsey was the culprit.

He determined his air compressor was missing, along with his tools, hunting equipment, fishing equipment and more. His daughter, wife and Copsey all denied knowing anything about the items’ whereabouts. The victim gave Copsey an ultimatum to return the property by a certain date or face consequences. Copsey then told him he had moved the tools out of the pole shed to make room and would return them by June 19 or 20. The victim thought his answer to be highly unusual given his alleged history of theft and other suspicious activity.

Copsey told police he had moved several items out of the garage to make room for his car. He then said he sold several items to a friend, who stored them in a storage unit in the town of Ellsworth. Police told him they were not his items to sell and that the victim wanted them back. He said he’d contact his friend and get them back by the end of the day. He also said the victim had given him permission to exchange a sold generator for cash instead. The victim denied that arrangement.

On July 13, police followed up on the case to see if the items had been returned. The victims listed several items that had been damaged at the home, such as a front door ($310.61), one screen door ($263.44), a ceiling fan with remote, carpet ($180), a couch ($50), a vintage pole lamp ($300), ceiling tiles, a florescent light, front entry cabinets, a hole in a bedroom wall, a 55-gallon aquarium, an upright mirror, a bathroom vanity, fireplace wiring and controls, a vintage bookcase, a bathroom sink, stool, towel bar and paper towel holder.

The victim’s wife was able to retrieve three items from someone who said Copsey had sold them to them.

Property not returned included an air compressor ($150), a floor jack ($150), jack stands ($100), three battery chargers ($250), a CB radio and antenna ($135), a motorcycle helmet ($130), a compound hunting bow and case ($800), a hunting blind ($250), turkey decoys ($100), a chainsaw ($100), motorcycle parts ($100), an SAE gear wrench set ($130), a Metric gear wrench set ($130), a Craftsman open boy end wrench set ($80), six Carbon Express Mutiny Arrows ($80), Rage Hypodermic Broadheads ($80), bench vice ($100), four vice grips ($60), eight “C” clamps ($60), one fluke electrical meter ($180), one motorcycle half helmet ($200), a mini Packer helmet signed by Brett Favre ($100), three three-ring binders of collector cards ($2,000), a digital torque wrench ($400), a click-type torque wrench ($150), a digital caliper ($300), vintage torch set ($100), lithium battery Dremel kit ($100), one Super Bowl XLII commemorative gold coin ($100), one tackle box with 20 spinner baits and 30 crank baits ($300), one SAE size gear wrench set stubby ($90), one metric gear wrench set stubby ($120), one bowling ball, shoes and case ($200).

Copsey is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 5 in Pierce County Circuit Court.