(Aurora, Ind.) – A boneheaded return to the scene of the crime has landed two alleged thieves behind bars.

Joseph Michael Davis, 39, of Hanover, Ind. (left) and Jason Thomas Spicer, 24, of Kokomo, Ind. (right). Dearborn County Sheriff's Office

About 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning, a Dearborn County Sheriff’s Deputy David Funch noticed a metal chain roping off the driveway to Zimmer Tractor in Aurora had been cut.

Employees were contacted and came in to take inventory in the middle of the night.  It turned out that two riding mowers had been removed from the store’s lot.

As police were investigating, the thieves returned to the tractor store on Randall Avenue – presumably to steal more merchandise. They were placed in handcuffs after questioning why they had entered the property.

Joseph Michael Davis, 39, of Hanover, Ind. and Jason Thomas Spicer, 24, of Kokomo, Ind. are each charged with Theft and Conspiracy.

Police later recovered the two stolen mowers in good condition in Jefferson County.

Dave Batta, the manager at Zimmer Tractor, credited Deputy Funch and other police for noticing the broken chain and nabbing the thieves.