Dec. 16--Thieves used stolen pickup trucks to strike scrap yards in Van Buren and Berrien counties this week, and in both cases the pickups were burned, police said.
In Van Buren County, police said a pair of scrap thieves caused an estimated $4,500 worth of damage as they made off with $500 worth of used car and truck batteries from a Lawrence-area business.
The thieves got into the fenced-in scrap yard at Clark's Auto Parts on foot, at 56472 Red Arrow Highway in Lawrence Township, sometime Monday night or early Tuesday.
An owner of the business said two sets of footprints were found leading into the scrap yard from a small opening in the fence.
The thieves loaded up about 100 used car and truck batteries into a 1994 Ford F-250 pickup truck owned by the scrap business and then drove the truck through the chain link fence, Van Buren County Sheriff's Deputy Tim Wydick reported Thursday.
The theft of the truck and batteries was discovered by employees at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Wydick said.
Two hours later sheriff's deputies were called to CR 681 near 77th Avenue in Keeler Township -- about six miles southwest of Clark's Auto Parts -- and found the burned-out pickup truck behind some grain silos, he said. The truck was destroyed by the fire, but the batteries were gone.
Clark Methany, an owner of Clark's Auto Parts, said the key had been in the pickup truck. The truck had a value of about $3,000. The thieves also caused about $1,500 in damage to the fence. Methany said his company gives $5 to $6 for a used car or truck battery.
As of Thursday afternoon no suspects were in custody, sheriff's Sgt. David Walker said.
Anyone with helpful information on the case is urged to call the sheriff's department at 657-3101, Silent Observer at 343-2100 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-342-7867.
Berrien County crime
In southern Berrien County, state police are investigating a similar crime. They are looking into the theft and arson of a pickup truck that was used to take scrap metal early Thursday from Padnos Redbud Recycling in Buchanan Township.
Police said the truck was found burned in a field off Stafford Road east of M-140 in Niles Township, with the scrap metal gone. The theft was caught on video cameras at the business, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call state police at the Niles post at 683-4411 or Crime Stoppers at 800-342-7867.
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