Sheriff Warns People Following String of ATV thefts

atvthefts

In just one week, three four-wheelers were stolen from homes in Letcher County. Two of them were in the McRoberts community on the same day. One of the thefts took just 27 seconds.

“They tied a strap to it and pulled it down the road in a pickup truck,” said Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines.
All the ATV’s have one thing in common. They do not have paperwork.

“It eliminates all doubt if you have a title, a VIN, and all that stuff proof of ownership,” said Stines.

Stines says many people do not have their stolen property in their name which means it is hard to recover.

“We need that to be able to enter it into a NCIC which is a stolen database. We put missing people in it, stolen handguns, vehicles, four-wheelers, boats, everything,” said Stines.
He says to take every precaution.

“If you buy anything whether it’s family or not go to a notary go to your local clerk’s office have it transferred over so it is listed in your name,” said Stines.

Stines says to make sure all valuable property is locked up and in a well-lit area.

“I have a security system at my house, cameras. I have the Ring doorbell which is great,” said Stines. “There are a lot of successful stories with the ring doorbell of people getting caught committing crimes and stuff. Those are great.”

He warns that thieves always know the best times to strike.

“They keep up with our shifts better than we do,” said Stines.
Stines says once 48 hours pass, the chances of recovering stolen property drops dramatically.