Rash of utility trailer thefts reported

Property Crimes Unit detectives with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office have reported to Historic City News that they are investigating a rash of utility trailer thefts that occurred throughout the county over the past 3 1/2 months.

Since August 1st, there have been 26 reported stolen utility trailers from every area of the county. These included homemade, enclosed and flatbed trailers and some contained equipment while others were empty. They also occurred during the daytime or at night and not on any particular day.

It is unknown what the thieves are doing with these trailers; however, they could be reselling them in another area, repainting them or selling them to law-abiding citizens. The most common risk factor is that these trailers are almost always plain white or black and are unmarked. The stolen trailers are left unattended at a jobsite or after hours at a business.

There are several crime prevention tips to help make it harder for thieves to steal your utility trailer. Make sure you properly lock or immobilize your trailer. Mark your trailer with special paint, decals, or lettering. Spray paint your name and/or phone number on the inside in big bright fluorescent paint. Have a steel fabricator weld your company name or phone number onto an obvious part of the frame. Hitch coupler and wheel locks are good deterrents and relatively inexpensive methods in securing trailers as well.

Anyone with any information concerning the identity of a suspect(s) in these thefts is asked to contact the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office at (904) 824-8304. You can also remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a cash reward by calling CrimeStoppers of NE Florida at 1-(888) 227-8477.