×

Thieves snatch Salem utilities vehicle

Special to the Journal/Salem Police Department Salem police are searching for this red 2017 GMC Sierra extended cab 3/4-ton pickup with four-wheel drive owned by the city which someone stole over the weekend.

SALEM — The city utilities department is down one truck after someone stole a city-owned red 2017 GMC Sierra with an attached snow plow from a utilities building off West State Street over the weekend.

The vehicle was described as a 3/4-ton extended cab short bed pickup with four doors, four-wheel drive, step rails. spray in bedliner, trailer mirrors and back-up alarm. The truck was not marked as a city truck but had city license plates, 945ZAM, and an estimated 8,300 miles on the odometer. There was also no On Star, so police can’t track it.

“We suspect more than one person was involved,” Salem Police Detective Brad Davis said.

He’s asking that anyone who may have seen anything in the area of the building over the weekend after 4 p.m. Friday or maybe saw the truck to call the police department at 330-337-7811. The snow plow was described as a Snow Dogg silver plow with the marking HD80.

The police department first received a call about the theft at 8:01 a.m. Tuesday. According to Davis, the thief or thieves broke open the gate to get inside the fenced property, doing a lot of damage in the process. They also forced entry into the building where four vehicles belonging to the utilities department were located, along with an emergency trailer being stored there for the fire department. The truck was the only vehicle stolen. Davis said the keys were in the vehicle.

He also said the storage area under the West State Street bridge was broken into and some globes for street lamps were broken. The city electrical department is housed in a separate building on the property which can be seen from West Second/Pennsylvania Avenue, but is normally accessed from the alley.

“We checked with the neighbors and we’re checking with local businesses for video,” Davis said.

He wasn’t aware of anything else being stolen, but the utilities department was doing an inventory. Nothing appeared damaged inside the building. The fire department checked the trailer and moved it back to the fire house.

Utilities Superintendent Don Weingart said they’ve had small equipment stolen out of the building before, but never a vehicle. He estimated the incident happened sometime between the two snow events from Saturday to Sunday. The truck was purchased with the snow plow in February 2017 for $34,017 and was insured. There was also some equipment inside that will have to be replaced, including miscellaneous tools and testing kits. The truck was used by the water treatment plant manager and kept parked at the building when he wasn’t working. He used the truck for gathering water samples within the distribution system and to travel to the water treatment plant on Gamble Road and the water wells.

When asked why the truck wasn’t marked as a city utilities truck, like trucks in other departments are marked, Weingart explained that they prefer not to mark department trucks because they have to travel out of the city a lot to check on the distribution system and seeing a marked city truck outside the city could result in public complaints.

The city distribution system stretches into Perry Township, and along Lisbon-Canfield Road and state Route 14 where lines go to Washingtonville and Leetonia. There’s also a water tower on Stewart Road, the well field, two reservoirs and the water treatment plant are all located well outside of the city limits.

They also have an advantage when going to properties about water shutoffs or other issues. Employees do have identification and all the vehicles have city license plates.

mgreier@salemnews.net

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.39/week.

Subscribe Today