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The refrigerators were empty, and there were a couple of beer kegs from MotoSonora Brewing Company behind the bar, the employees reported to landlords Patricia and Ron Schwabe.

The Borderlands food truck that had been a fixture at the bar since late 2022 was chained to a loading dock of the former produce warehouse with at least one flat tire.

By Friday morning, someone had used bolt cutters to remove the chain and take the truck. It was found hours later in the flooded loading dock of Borderlands鈥� former brewing facility on South Toole Avenue.

Police said Friday the case is classified as a civil matter.

Borderlands CEO Es Teran could not be reached for comment and did not return a call seeking comment.

The food truck incident is the latest chapter in a story that began in May when Peach Properties told Teran that the bar, which had been housed in the historic warehouse since the brewery launched in 2011, would have to leave by summer鈥檚 end. Peach Properties in April announced plans to bring in Live Nation鈥檚 Punchline Comedy Club.

At the time, the brewery, which let go of its brew staff and left its brewing operation at Voltron Brewing on South Toole Avenue early last fall, was facing a mountain of financial challenges, including owing nearly $400,000 to its board members in outstanding loans.

Borderlands also owed the Small Business Administration $146,000 and was $79,000 behind in its Arizona Department of Revenue taxes. Shareholders also were clamoring to sell back their shares for pennies on the dollar, but board members told them they didn鈥檛 have the cash on hand.

The biggest blow came in early June, when the state filed a lien against Borderlands for $250,000 in unpaid sales tax.

Borderlands, which had been on a month-to-month lease with Peach Properties for more than a year, paid its rent consistently late. When the landlords didn鈥檛 receive the June rent and got no response to a number of notices sent to Teran, they changed the building鈥檚 locks on June 25.

鈥淚n the past, they had paid. But this time, zero communication; nothing,鈥� said Patricia Schwabe.

鈥淏orderlands just went silent,鈥� added Ron Schwabe. 鈥淭hey haven鈥檛 responded to anything and they鈥檙e not paying.鈥�

By law, Peach Properties had to wait 14 days before they could legally access the property. That timetable expired on Thursday, when the staff members went into the building and began documenting the contents in photos and videos. One of the photos shows the food truck chained to the dock.

By early Friday, it was gone.

Although the food truck was not physically attached to Borderlands, it was part of the business, according to an agreement Teran signed with Rio Nuevo in November 2022.

Rio Nuevo had agreed that September to kick in $54,500 of Borderlands鈥� $109,000 cost of the food truck. The agreement stipulated that the food truck be 鈥渁ffixed鈥� and 鈥渙perate exclusively at the Toole Property.鈥�

Rio Nuevo Chairman Fletcher McCusker on Friday said he was adding the food truck to the Rio Nuevo Board of Directors agenda for its meeting on Tuesday to discuss possible legal remedies.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a board decision. We have been pretty straight down the facts when we have a legal issue with someone that we provided a benefit to,鈥� McCusker said. 鈥淢y guess is the board鈥檚 going to want to enforce their rights.鈥�

There are two Borderlands brewpubs 鈥� Borderlands Sam Hughes at 2500 E. Sixth St. and Borderlands North at 5605 E. River Road 鈥� that are owned and operated by Teran and his partners. Those businesses operate under a licensing agreement with Borderlands Brewing in which the owners pay a quarterly fee to use the name and buy beer from the brewery.

Teran also owns the downtown agave-centric restaurant . at 124 E. Broadway.