A Wednesday burglary in the Arlington community has left a youngLincoln County husband and wife with no heritage, no entertainmentand little peace of mind.

Dustin Sasser, 30, of 1098 Bogue Chitto Road Southwest, said hearrived home around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday to find his home brokeninto and approximately $12,000 worth of items stolen, includingantique family possessions, almost all his electronic equipment andeven the sheets off his bed.

Sasser said he saw his wife, 26-year-old Ashley Sasser, off towork Wednesday morning before leaving to take his dogs to the vetand run errands around 8:30 a.m. By the time he returned around2:30 p.m., the damage had been done.

“I wish I’d have been at home,” he said. “They’d have wished Iwasn’t.”

Sasser said the burglars kicked the front door in to enter hishome and kicked the back door out to leave. In between, theburglars seemed to have taken everything they could get their handson, he said, most importantly a safe that contained the Sassers’marriage license, birth certificates, Social Security cards, a goldand silver coin collection and Ashley Sasser’s grandmother’santique diamond engagement ring.

“They must have thought the safe was full of money,” Sassersaid. “It wasn’t cash money, but to us it was worth a fortune.”

The burglars didn’t stop there. Also stolen from the Sasser homewere a pair of digital televisions, three gaming consoles and mostof their games, a digital camera, two large CD cases full of CDs, anickel-plated Taurus 9mm pistol and an old computer and printer.The burglars also ransacked the bedroom and then grabbed sixfishing poles by the backdoor as they exited the home.

“The computer was 10 years old – it was about worthless exceptit had all our pictures on it,” Sasser said.

Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing is also keeping an eye outfor Sasser’s stolen items.

“My investigator has already done a follow-up, and we’ll takeany leads that come in,” he said. “We’ll be checking the pawn shopsand trying to catch anyone who was out and about that shouldn’t bein the neighborhood.”

Rushing said Sasser’s burglary is at least the third reported ina month, and by far the biggest. The burglary is uncommon for theArlington neighborhood, he said, which has not seen a burglary inseveral months.

Rushing said anyone with information pertaining to the burglaryshould call the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department at (601)833-5231, or Crime Stoppers at (601) 823-0150.