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3 pickups stolen from Johnson County farm

FRANKLIN, Ind. (WISH) –  The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office reports three pickups were stolen from a farm in Franklin on Sunday while the owner and his family were at church.

The theft occurred in broad daylight in the 7000 block of North County Road 700 East, according to an incident report.

Terry Bright is the owner and tells 24-Hour News 8 he and his son-in-law use the trucks on the family farm harvesting corn, soybeans, and wheat.

“Why would somebody take three of our pickups?” said Bright, standing in his near-empty driveway. “We left for church at quarter after 7, backed out of the garage, and we got home about 1:30. I had to go toward the toolshed to get something and then I noticed something looked different and there were three pickups gone.”

Bright admits the trucks were old: a gray 1982 Chevrolet, a maroon 1992 Dodge and a tan 2000 Ford F-350. They also had the keys sitting in the cab, according to Bright.

“We have different guys working for us and they hop in the trucks all the time of the day so we just leave the keys in the trucks,” he said.

Bright thinks the thieves won’t get much for the vehicles but the gear in the back could be worth something.

“They haul fuel and have a lot of tools and parts in them,” he said. “It takes a little bit of time to put a pickup together with the way we have them equipped.”

The last reported sighting of the trucks, however, wasn’t before church on Sunday. Bright said his neighbor told him he saw a truck drive by around 9:30 Sunday morning.

“He didn’t know any different. (He) saw the pickup coming and waved at it, and the person didn’t wave back. (My neighbor) thought that seemed kind of unusual,” Bright said.

If he’s hoping to replace the trucks, Bright is already running out of time as September harvest preparation is already underway on the farm.

“We’re getting our grain setup ready, probably start shelling corn in about a week,” said Bright. “We need the trucks back.”

If you have any information about this crime, you are encouraged to submit an anonymous tip to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office at 317-346-4604 or crimetips@johnsoncountysheriff.com.

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