$500,000 worth of stolen equipment traced to Beaufort County home
The yard was filled with other stolen trailers, as well as heavy-duty construction and lawn-care equipment, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office. The items have a combined value of about $500,000.
Once they arrived at 268 Detour Road, deputies confirmed the trailer in the yard was the same as the one reported stolen -- it had the same serial numbers on the side of it, according to a news release.
The deputies spoke with an occupant of the home and were able to look around the rest of the property.
They found open and enclosed trailers, commercial landscaping equipment, construction tools, a rifle, an excavator, skid-steer loader and a front-end loader, the release said.
The lawn equipment was reported stolen from a Beaufort County landscaping company, according to Capt. Bob Bromage. Other items had been reported stolen out of Charleston, Colleton and Jasper counties. Bromage said Thursday he could not yet release the names of the victims, as investigators were still in the process of notifying the owners of the stolen property.
The Sheriff's Office notified Charleston police of the items recovered.
Multiple criminal charges are expected against the suspects, who will be identified after they are arrested, the release said.
Bromage said the charges will range from receiving stolen property to grand larceny.
An investigation into the stolen property continues, as deputies work to return the property to owners.
Anyone with information about the stolen property or suspects can call Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Fraser at 843-255-3416 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC.
The thefts follow one March 5 from Grayco in Bluffton when about $500,000 worth of building supplies, trucks and forklifts were taken. Four suspects were eventually charged in that incident, along with other thefts from a Georgia lumber yard and from Plantation Hardware in Richmond Hill, Ga.
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This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 8:22 AM with the headline "$500,000 worth of stolen equipment traced to Beaufort County home."