Hilton Head Island chainsaw thief on the loose

A pair of chainsaws were stolen last weekend from a Hilton Head Island hardware store, and as of Monday the thief had yet to be caught.

On the morning of Dec. 30, employees at the store noticed a man pushing a shopping cart with the chainsaws, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report released Monday.

An employee approached the man and “directed (him) to the rear counter in order to purchase the equipment,” the report said.

But the employee “became busy with other customers” and the suspected shoplifter quickly left through an emergency exit on the side of the store with the chainsaws valued at roughly $1,500 in hand, according to the report.

Store employees described the suspect — who was spotted leaving the parking lot in a white pick-up truck with tinted windows — as a medium-built white male with a full beard.

This story was originally published January 2, 2017 at 3:39 PM with the headline "Hilton Head Island chainsaw thief on the loose."