A series of three vehicle thefts within a 45 minutes period in the county Monday morning are all related and the same person is believed to be responsible. The first occurred in the 900 block of Douglas Road at 5:30 in the morning. Tyler Davis of Williamsburg reported his Dodge truck was stolen. It was recovered about 15 minutes later at 2100 John Brown Road where Sean Licktieg of Rantoul reported a robbery after being forced from his vehicle. The suspect fled the scene. The vehicle was later recovered in Princeton where, at 6:15, Terrance Davis of Williamsburg reported his Chevy truck was stolen from the Princeton Quick Shop. The pickup was later recovered in Drexel, Missouri. Franklin County Sheriff Jeff Richards says there were more thefts involved and in most cases, there is a way to prevent the thefts.
He added that as the weather gets colder, crimes of opportunity rise, as people are more tempted to keep their cars running after gassing up or running into the store to grab a coffee.
