Thief steals tractor, John Deere Gator from Skyline School District

URBANA, Mo. (KY3) - The Skyline School District in rural Hickory County is asking for any help for solving a theft of a red Case IH tractor and a John Deere Gator.

School leaders say a thief stole the items late Thursday night from the maintenance building. The school is asking businesses or home owners to check security cameras for a truck pulling a trailer and the red tractor around 12:10 a.m. in the area.

Randy Dougherty, the superintendent for the Skyline District, said the security footage showed a young man wearing a disguise running around the grounds of the Skyline campus.

The man ended up at the maintenance shed and tried to break into the shed through the window.

“Once they found out they couldn’t gain entry into the window, they went around to try to get in the door. They then ended up with a crowbar prying the garage door up,” Dougherty said.

The man drove off first with the gator before returning for the tractor just after midnight. Footage showed the man driving through the parking lot and traveling north.

The Hickory County Sheriff’s Department picked up the trail a mile down the road to a gravel turnoff. They believe this is where the gator and tractor were loaded onto some type of trailer which then drove off.

“Our community, we all try to help each other, protect each other. Hopefully, someone will see something and whoever did it can answer to it,” Dougherty said.

Sheriff Greg Burke, with the Hickory County Sheriff’s Department, said, “We’re working several leads right now. Our investigator deputies have recovered some of the items along with some items that we think were used in the commission of the crime.”

The sheriff’s department was looking into identifying a vehicle that was on the school’s campus just before the burglary. They have since cleared the gray Chevy of any connection with the theft.

If you have any information that may help, please call the Hickory County Sheriff’s Office at 417-745-6415.

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