ATV thefts prompt call for public help
Published 6:00 am Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department investigators said a recentrash of stolen all-terrain vehicles has left them with no suspectsand looking to the public for leads.
Chief Deputy Johnny Hall and Sheriff Steve Rushing said fourATVs were stolen right around Christmas time in the county, butthat four more were taken sometime during the weekend from abusiness just outside the city.
“Any information anyone has on this, we’d ask the public to letus know, whether directly or through Crimestoppers,” Rushingsaid.
Investigators said a “Mule” ATV and a four-wheeler were takenfrom Auburn Drive and Verona Lane, respectively, just beforeChristmas. Two “Rhino” ATVs were taken from the Highway 550 areajust after Christmas.
Then, over the weekend, four other ATVs were taken all in thesame night from a local mobile home sales business.
“At this point we don’t know if these are related,” Hall said.”But we need people to be on the lookout for these people or foranything suspicious.”
Rushing said he estimated the different vehicles cost between$8,000 and $10,000 each. He said most of them were taken during theday, which leads investigators to believe there might be citizensof the community who saw something at the time of the crimes.
“These type items are popular ones to be stolen,” he said.”People take them out of the area to sell them because they’re alittle harder to track.”
Rushing said there has been a string of ATV thefts before, whenthree were taken in a row, but some of those were recovered.Rushing said it’s a possibility the thieves are not local.
“Some of those were recovered in Jackson,” he said. “There’s achance these people aren’t from here. They could be from out ofstate, or somewhere north of here.”
Investigators are urging anyone with possible information on thecrimes to call the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department at601-833-5231 or Lincoln County Crimestoppers at 601-823-0150.