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Ring of thieves targeting heavy duty trucks in Central Indiana

Police say the thieves aren't slowing down
Posted at 10:50 PM, Aug 10, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-10 23:51:43-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- A ring of thieves targeting Ford heavy-duty trucks in Indianapolis shows no signs of slowing down.

Indianapolis police have investigated at least eight thefts of Ford F-150, F-250 and F-350 trucks over the past several weeks.

PREVIOUS | Central Indiana thieves targeting heavy-duty pickups

One of those trucks belonged to Jack Ragland, who has conducted his own searches every day since his vehicle was stolen.

"We have driven 400-600 miles looking for our truck," Ragland said. "Kind of heartbreaking."

In Beech Grove, Jeffrey Wilcher's 1999 Ford F-250 was stolen while he was grocery shopping. Even worse, he received a Facebook message from a lady in Bloomington showing his truck being used to steal another similar truck.

The trucks are popular for thieves because their parts, especially their motors and catalytic converters, are hot commodities.

The majority of recent thefts have involved parked and locked trucks. In one of the most recent cases, the vehicle was taken with the keys inside.

Brand new, Ford heavy-duty trucks can run more than $50,000.

If you have any information about the thefts, contact Crime Stoppers at 262-TIPS.

Explore the interactive below to see more info about each of the most recent thefts: