Texas police say that they were able to recover more than $1 million worth of stolen goods after a truck loaded up with electronics was taken from a truck stop.
The incident began on April 24 in Kaufman County, Texas, when deputies with the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office came up on an 18 wheeler blocking the roadway at CR 125 and Hiram Road.
Deputies saw that the “rig was stuck and unable to move.”
When the deputies approached the cab to speak with the driver, they saw that the driver’s side window was down and the passenger door was open but there was no driver in sight.
Deputies noticed a “a strong odor of burning rubber in the air” and could feel that the hood of the truck was warm to the touch.
After noticing that the trailer seal was broken, deputies discovered that a pallet in the trailer had been tampered with and that someone had removed the plastic and cardboard wrappings.
The pallet contained Dell laptop computers and two computers appeared to be missing.
After searching the cab, the deputies found a phone number for a distributor and called for more information.
The distributor informed the police that the truck had been stolen: “The reporting person talking to the deputy stated that while in route to his destination the driver of the 18-wheeler stopped at an unknown truck stop to take a shower. During his time in the shower an unknown suspect entered his truck and fled the location.”
Deputies then learned that the Terrell Police Department was taking a report from the truck driver regarding the stolen semi.
Through “Good communication and investigative skills,” the Terrell Police Department and Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office was able to recover 50 pallets of Dell notebook computers, estimated value totaling $957,600.00, and the truck and trailer, estimated value of $65,000.
“Grand total recovered $1,022,600.00, GREAT JOB!,” the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office said in a Tuesday news release about the incident.