By Nita McCann

The Natchez Democrat

FERRIDAY — Concordia Parish and Ferriday law enforcement officers are investigating a rash of four-wheeler thefts in the parish.

In the last several days, more than a dozen four-wheelers have been stolen in and around the towns of Ridgecrest, Clayton and Ferriday.

A group of juveniles was caught on a surveillance camera stealing one of the vehicles.

They may also be the group behind a smaller number of such thefts in November, said Concordia Parish’s Sgt. Phillip Smith, an investigator on the case.

“We even found a few of the four-wheelers around the residence (of one suspect),” Smith said.

The trouble with recovering such vehicles is that the owners do not record their serial numbers, he added.

Not only that, but some of the owners have made their four-wheelers easy to steal, said Vernon Stevens, a spokesman for the CPSO.

“They leave (their four-wheelers) outside with gas in them and the keys in the ignition,” Smith said.

Since Thursday, law enforcement officials have located at least eight four-wheelers, Smith said.

In cases where no keys were with the vehicles, the group jumpstarts them, he said.

The CPSO has increased its patrols in part due to the chain of thefts, but the owners themselves should take an active role as well, Stevens said.

“Anything you can do to make theft hard for them helps,” Stevens said. “Secure it as best you can. Chain them up and lock them up.”