NEW PARIS — A string of business break-ins and attempted break-ins in New Paris during the past month has business owners wondering what will happen next.

The business break-ins were reported from late December to mid-January and followed similar incidents at businesses in Kosciusko County.

“I’d like to catch them,” said victim Tim Spurlock, who owns Spurlock Body and Paint on South Main Street.

Spurlock and other business owners have been out at night, patrolling the town on their own. And the businessmen have noticed the presence of sheriff’s deputies and detectives in the town.

One night recently, Spurlock walked back to his complex of buildings to find cars sitting there with their lights off. It was sheriff’s officers, he said, and he was glad to see them. Except one car had become stuck in the snow.

Crime spree starts

Spurlock said one month ago Tuesday the burglar or burglars used a crowbar to break into his office and shop. The method used at most of the incidents is the burglar takes a truck from the business, loads it with tools and other valuables and drives away with the vehicle and tools.

He lost Snap-on and Mack tools, valuable compressed-air paint guns, sanders and a computer from his office.

Spurlock said the thief took a Ford one-ton dually pickup truck, loaded it with the tools, went to a neighboring building belonging to Edd’s Supply, where he broke into that shop, then went to a third business on Ind. 15 before leaving town.

“There was snow on the ground and we followed the tracks,” Spurlock explained. He said the loss to his business was about $50,000, but his employees had some of their own tools they could use, so work was not interrupted at the business.

Spurlock’s workers repair and paint automobiles and paint RVs made by local companies.

His Ford truck was found a couple weeks later, abandoned at the truck stop at U.S. 6 and Ind. 15.

“I had the truck full of diesel fuel and it was empty when it was found, so they drove it 300 miles,” Spurlock said.

He determined that his truck was used by the burglars when they opened the gate at the Conservancy District facility on C.R. 29 and broke into that office and workshop Jan. 12 or 13. The conservancy district operates the sanitary sewer system in New Paris.

“There was a bowl of almonds taken from that office and we found almonds in my truck. They used it in that break-in,” Spurlock said. “He was in that office for 20 minutes.”

Spurlock said it was frustrating to think the thief worked in his buildings, which are just west of his ranch home on South Main Street. And he hates to think that his truck was used in the other break-ins around town.

“I wish they would leave me alone,” he said.

An expensive loss

Matt Rippey, operations manager at the conservancy district, said hand and power tools valued at $7,000 were taken. He said that while the office was searched, the computer, which contains the sewer billing information, was not taken.

“It was minor stuff. Toilet paper and cleaning supplies,” Rippey said. He explained that the lock on the walk-in gate was cut, then the thief opened the control box for the opener operating the large gate and was able to get the truck into the area by opening that gate.

But authorities now have a videotape and a picture of a suspect, as a camera was operating in the conservancy district office. The thief is pictured in that tape, just before he ripped the camera from its perch. The pictures were immediately given to sheriff’s officers and shared with business people in the community as well as the news media.

Spurlock explained the theft of his truck followed the earlier losses of trucks owned by Phend & Brown and Bison Trailers near Milford.

Attempted burglaries

Two other businesses reported attempted break-ins this month.

Jim Garris, who runs an excavating business and plows snow in the winter, said the same night as the Spurlock break-in, he drove into his business to reload with salt about midnight. He saw a truck leave the area with its lights turned off, plus he saw two other trucks nearby on Ind. 15 with lights off.

“Probably his helpers,” Garris said of the trucks on Ind. 15..

“I was lucky,” said Garris, who thinks that was the crew that also robbed Spurlock that night. “I was tired and didn’t think anything about it until the next day.”

That following day Garris saw footprints in the fresh snow at an exterior door that had been damaged, saw that his telephone line was cut and a fence at the west edge of his property was also cut.

He has since bought a new alarm system, he said. “I was fortunate.”

Alarm sounds

John Schrock, who owns Knepp Sand and Gravel on C.R. 23, said someone cut his telephone line at his business and that triggered his alarm system, driving the thief away. That incident occurred this month.

“The police were here in 10 minutes,” Schrock said. “I can usually be here in five minutes after the alarm goes off.”

Schrock said he installed his alarm system after he was a victim of a break-in eight or nine years ago.

“It’s devastating,” Schrock said, after losing tools and having the office ransacked and papers thrown around.

Truck, tools taken

On Jan. 12 a white 1993 Chevrolet three-quarter ton truck was loaded up with tools and a computer at the Ferrelgas facility at U.S. 6 and C.R. 23 and driven through the facility’s locked gate. All the telephone wires outside the building were cut before the break-in.

“They loaded it (truck) up at the office and the shop,” said Scott McGill, Ferrelgas manager. The gate was damaged when the truck rammed through it, so the truck may also have damage.

McGill said if the vinyl Ferrelgas letters are removed from his truck it will look like any other white truck, except for the propane cylinder bolted in the bed of the truck. The engine runs on propane, so he guessed his truck will be abandoned when it is out of fuel.

“I think they’ll run out soon,” McGill said. He said the thief filled a 55-gallon trash barrel with tools, but left the business that night without it.

“I was afraid they would come back,” he said.

McGill said his business, like others, now has a newer security system that does not rely on the telephone system.

“M & M (security company, near Benton) is picking up a lot of business,” McGill joked.

“I don’t think they live around here,” McGill speculated. But he hopes the ring of thieves is done working at New Paris. McGill said police are stopping drivers on C.R. 23, checking on them.

“I think they’ve run out of places to hit,” McGill suggested. “Maybe they moved on.”