Video: Property Thefts In North MS

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- You might think thieves want items they can carry off in the dark.

But in many north Mississippi counties, it seems like the bigger the item, the more attractive to possible crooks.

Lawn Mowers, trailers, and excavators, Lowndes County investigator Mary Huggins said these are just a few of the popular items thieves are getting their sticky hands on.

“Most people think they can get rid of it easily because it’s big money,” said Huggins.  “It’s not small money that you can get 15 or 20 bucks for.”

Huggins said these types of thefts have always been common here in our area.

However recently, thieves have been getting a little more creative with how they’re nabbing the items.

They’re peeling off the VIN stickers and painting the items in different colors to help disguise the stolen property.

Huggins said summer time is the ideal time of year for property thieves to try and nab these items.

“During the summer time is when most of the stuff is out,” she said. “They’ll steal them while you’re in bed at three o’clock in the morning, they’ll steal them while you’re at work at eight o’clock in the morning, and they’ll steal them at nighttime while you’re sleep. it’s no particular time that they do it.”

Property thieves usually steal trailers and then use the trailer to haul all of their stolen goods. Investigators said the way the cycle works is, once an item is stolen, the thief normally shops the item around to people they know personally or online trying to lure in potential buyers.

“This is one thing that’s being done heavily,” said Huggins.”A lot of times they take that item, put it on Craiglists or FaceBook or they will put it on, Junkies.com, and they’ll not only be listed here but in different parts of the state.”

And they usually try to sell the big ticket items online for smaller and cheaper prices.

However Huggins said a lot of times the buyer won’t know if the item they’re buying is legit or not.

But she warns, if it seems too good to be true, well, that’s because it normally is.

“You’re out of that money one hundred dollars at that instance, but once that person is arrested, taken to court and prosecuted, that becomes part of the restitution which will be paid back to the person which is now considered the victim,” said Huggins.

Investigators said there’s not a way to be completely safe, however carving a serial number into the property, or leaving some type of mark on an item will help in identifying the stolen item if it ever becomes stolen.