Thieves take $90,000 of goods from Chester County businesses
CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — A Chester County crime spree leaves one business nearly wiped out and other with major losses. In all, the stolen items could total up to $90,000. James Johnson is one business owner who woke up Monday morning to bare walls of only price tags in his lawn care parts store. He and his wife worked the entire day checking serial numbers for stolen inventory. They believe their loss could be as big as $30,000. Johnson’s was one of three businesses targeted by thieves. “We found evidence at the scene that would leave us to believe they were all connected,” Chester County Sheriff Blair Weaver said. The sheriff’s department said a GMC pickup truck was stolen off of a transport truck by SIler’s Barbeque, while a lawn care business had a 16-foot truck and trailer bed stolen – a grand total of nearly $90,000 worth of goods. “We’re in the process now of looking at surveillance cameras in several different areas and in several other counties,” Weaver said. Johnson said he does not expect to see his merchandise again, and the worst part is that none of his loss will be covered by insurance. “I thought I had insurance. Apparently I do not. It’s my personal loss, and I just have to struggle to recover from it,” Johnson said. Johnson said a loss like this one will keep him from retiring for several more years. The Chester County Sheriff’s Department said they need help finding the criminals. Anyone with information is asked to call the Chester County Sheriff’s Department at (731) 989-2787 or Crime Stoppers (731) 989-2274.
