Early Saturday morning, August 8, deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the scene of a motor vehicle theft in White Pigeon Township. At around 3:45 a.m., deputies arrived at a location of Crooked Creek Road, where suspects broke into a barn and stole a 1989 Jeep Wrangler. According to a press release issued by the Sheriff’s Office, the vehicle is red with black fender flares and a black bikini top. It is equipped with a four-inch lift kit, 33-inch tires, and no back seat.

Previously, on Friday, July 31, deputies received a complaint of stolen property from a riverside shed in a yard in Constantine Township. In that theft, which took place on Winding River Road, a Mercury Out engine was removed along with a half-ton floor jack, a 30-ton bottle jack, and a 12-ton bottle jack.

The two incidents follow upon a theft on Fawn River Road in July. The Sheriff’s Office has not indicated whether any of the cases might be linked. Watershed Voice was unable to reach the Sheriff’s Office to answer that question as of press time.

Persons with information on either case can contact the Sheriff’s Office at 269-467-9045, or Central Dispatch 269-467-4195. The former incident’s press release did not include a reference number, but the latter case includes a complaint number of 4772-20.

Dave Vago is a staff writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.