A Lawrence man on trial for theft this week in Douglas County District Court claimed he found a clothes dryer while “Dumpster diving.”

But after deliberating for several hours on Tuesday, a jury returned a guilty verdict for Timothy S. Brown, 37.

District Attorney Charles Branson gave the following account:

Brown was charged following an incident on July 30 in the 800 block of Michigan. A woman moving into an apartment saw Brown with his van backed up to an apartment. Moments later, the woman saw a dryer loaded into the van.

The woman called her landlord to see if someone should be taking the dryer. Lawrence police were then called and given the van’s license plate number. Police saw the van parked outside a resale shop. The dryer was still in the van.

Brown didn’t deny taking the dryer, Branson said. He claimed he had been Dumpster diving that day and found the dryer tossed out with trash at the apartment. Dumpster diving is a term that refers to searching through trash for items others have discarded.

Brown’s trial began Monday before Judge Michael Malone. The case was handed to the jury for deliberations at 10 a.m. Tuesday. The jury returned with a verdict at 4:30 p.m.

Brown will be sentenced by Malone at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 30.