Someone mowed down a gate and a portion of a fence with a pickup truck over the weekend and stole a trailer loaded with a zero-turn lawn mower and an assortment of tools and other items.
The incident happened in the storage area behind Jennings' Welding on U.S. Highway 82 east.
On Tuesday, Indianola Police Investigator Sgt. Irish Johnson said that at some time over the weekend, between Saturday evening and Monday morning, an unidentified person or persons apparently climbed the fenced-in area behind Jennings' shop, where several customers rent enclosed storage compartments, stole a 2009 Ford F-250 pickup valued at $31,655 and then used it to plow through the gate.
In addition to the truck, the culprit reportedly also stole a seven-foot by fourteen-foot single-axle trailer. And although the inventory of stolen property has not been completed, among the known missing items is a $10,000 John Deere zero-turn lawnmower, a four-gallon backpack sprayer valued at $100, a three-eighth inch hose sprayer valued at $120 and a variety of tools.
The pickup truck, which reportedly had the keys left in it, was found by law enforcement officers on the side of the highway in Bolivar County, just north of Mound Bayou. Johnson said evidently the truck ran out of gas and the perpetrator left it on the highway.
He said Bolivar County deputies spotted the vehicle earlier in the day and at the time the driver appeared to be changing a flat tire, but when they passed it again later in the day, it had been abandoned.
IPD currently has no named suspects in the burglary and Johnson said the accumulated dust on the vehicle made it difficult to lift fingerprints. Jennings did not have cameras on the premises, but Johnson said they have been checking available video footage from nearby businesses.
In addition to the other items that were taken, Johnson said the thief also broke into the trucks toolbox. Anyone with information about the theft is encouraged to contact the Indianola Police at 662-887-1811.
