Van spotted around the time large appliances were stolen from a Sheldon home

A Sheldon man and his girlfriend were moving out of their home into a new one when a burglar took advantage of their absence and took nearly $7,000 worth of items from the house, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report.

They didn’t return to their old home near Bailey Circle from approximately 5 p.m. on Jan. 23 until shortly after 3 p.m. on Saturday, according to the report.

Two leather recliners were stolen along with several large appliances including a refrigerator, a central air conditioning unit, two window air conditioning units, a washer and a dryer, according to the report. The items were worth about $6,900.

One of the home’s back windows fitted with an air unit had been pried open, giving the thieves access to the house, according to the report.

A neighbor told deputies he saw a white van with tinted windows leaving the driveway of the home around 6 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the report. A responding deputy found tire marks where a vehicle had backed up to the home’s back porch and marks on the floors where the appliances had been dragged across the floor.

This story was originally published January 30, 2017 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Van spotted around the time large appliances were stolen from a Sheldon home."