A Redmond freight broker is suing an independent truck driver after thieves stole nearly $100,000 in boneless organic beef.

Adrian Ortega Ramirez, of Los Angeles, was sued Monday in Deschutes County Circuit Court by Sterling Truck Brokerage for around $42,000 of that amount.

Sterling arranges shipments for distributors and drivers. Ramirez was an owner-operator who drove for Sterling for about five years.

In July 2012, Ramirez agreed to haul a truckload of refrigerated beef to Los Angeles on behalf of a Southern California meat processor, according to the lawsuit.

After the freight was loaded into his truck, Ramirez returned to his home in Los Angeles, where he parked the vehicle and left it unattended, according to the lawsuit.

That night the truck was stolen. It was eventually recovered in working condition, but the meat was gone.

One hundred thousand dollars in disappearing beef is not unheard of in the world of freight hauling, according to Sterling owner Rick Kirk.

“In metro areas, people watch what gets loaded onto those trailers. It’s a real problem,” Kirk said Monday. “We’re spoiled here in Central Oregon; we don’t worry about that.”

Ramirez had insurance, but his policy contained exemptions for certain metropolitan areas in the U.S. Specifically, there was an exception that he must remain within 100 feet of the truck if it was within 50 miles of Los Angeles city limits.

Since Ramirez was not covered for the loss by insurance, Sterling was on the hook for the beef. Kirk paid $97,000 to American Beef Packers and worked up a repayment plan with Ramirez.

“I had to make that customer whole, because we do thousands of dollars of business with them every year,” Kirk said.

Over several years, Ramirez paid about half of what he owed to Sterling. But about two years ago, he “went AWOL” and stopped making payments and returning texts and emails, Kirk said.

Kirk suspects vehicle trouble upset Ramirez’s financial stability, because about two years ago, he told Kirk he’d need more than $15,000 to rebuild his engine.

Ramirez did not return multiple calls to his cellphone Monday. He has yet to be served with the lawsuit, according to the state’s judicial information database.

Kirk said the lost beef is his only stolen shipment in his 32 years as a broker.

“I didn’t want to break this guy’s back — he’s not a bad guy or anything,” he said. “I think he might have felt he’d paid enough.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0325, gandrews@bendbulletin.com