Grimes County Sheriff’s Office warns residents about increased ATV thefts

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – The Grimes County Sheriff’s Office warned residents about an increase in ATV thefts over the past few months.

In a Facebook post shared Tuesday, Sheriff Donald Sowell cautioned ATV owners about leaving their vehicles outside overnight.

The increase in ATV theft cases was noticed by the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office a couple of months ago. There have been around a dozen reports since, which share similar characteristics.

Grimes County Sheriff’s Office warns residents about increased ATV thefts

“We’re noticing it is consistent with an organized criminal ring. What they seem to do is coming in though, doing a few thefts consecutively,” Detective Logan Peck said.

Iola, Anderson, and Carlos have been hit already. High-end brands of ATVs, like Polaris and Can-Am, are the thieves’ biggest targets.

Grimes County Sheriff’s Office warns residents about increased ATV thefts

Many of the cases are being referred to as “crimes of opportunity” by the sheriff’s office. A few of the thefts occurred after the victims posted photos of their ATVs on Facebook.

“The victims will post side-by-sides for sale, and within days it’s getting stolen,” he said.

The sheriff’s office believes the ATVs are likely being sold for parts. According to Detective Peck, the vehicle becomes virtually impossible to track once it’s dismantled.

There are measures that can be taken to keep these vehicles safe and secure. Polaris Fun Center Operations Manager Michael Watson recommends a device called a battery kill switch as an extra security measure.

Grimes County Sheriff’s Office warns residents about increased ATV thefts

“It’s kind of like the keys. If you take this out, even if they try to hotwire it, they’re not going to be able to start the machine at all,” Watson said.

According to Watson, some ATVs come pre-equipped with tracking abilities in the event of a theft. However, he said the most reliable method of security is to lock up the vehicle.

“If you’ve got gates, lock them. Lock them up at night, take the keys. You can unhook the battery. Just anything you can kind of do to keep people from, you know, don’t make it so easy,” he said.

Grimes County Sheriff’s Office warns residents about increased ATV thefts

Both men encourage ATV owners to employ multiple strategies to secure them, such as locking the ATV up and installing a tracker.

Detective Peck said the sheriff’s office has identified multiple suspects, but they are still looking for evidence and information to build their cases.

If you have any information, call the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office at (936) 873-2151 or Grimes County Crimestoppers at (936) 873-2000.