Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 25, 1990 TAG: 9007250061
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Neal Thompson
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Short
That's what Investigator D.L. Stewart of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department wants people to remember during the remainder of the summer.
Stewart is currently investigating a number of recent thefts of expensive riding lawn mowers in the county - one valued at $4,188.
But he said lawn mower thefts can be avoided if the owners would be a little less trusting of others and a little more careful.
"Don't leave your lawn mower out there sitting in the grass after you're done cutting. Lock them up. This is the season," Stewart said.
Thefts of lawn mowers and other lawn and gardening equipment, like motorized soil tillers, are a "seasonal situation," he said. In the autumn months, chain saws and hunting guns are the booty of choice.
Most lawn mowers are taken at night after they've been left in or near someone's yard.
The most frequently used method of theft, Stewart said, is to coast the mower out of someone's yard and down the street where it is put into a truck.
In recent years, Stewart has seen mowers taken to other states, where the serial number is peeled or filed off and they are resold.
And with a $500 to $600 price tag on $3,000 mower, it's not that difficult to find a buyer, he said.
Stewart said lawn mowers should be locked in a garage or chained to something at night.
by CNB