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Suspect spends 8 hours, 3 trips to steal welding machines from Beaumont laydown yard

An online search showed similar welding machines selling for more than $16,000 each.

BEAUMONT, Texas — Deputies are looking for the person who stole three welding machines over the course of about eight hours overnight on a weekend in February 2022.

A person driving a light colored GMC Yukon was caught on video driving through the fence of a laydown yard in the 6400 block of Industrial Drive in Beaumont at about 11:15 p.m. on Saturday, February 12, 2022, according to a news release from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

The suspect drove back out through the hole in the fence, which was not visible from the street, towing a Vantage 322 welding machine according to deputies.

There were no license plates on the SUV.

An online search showed similar welding machines selling for more than $16,000 each.

The suspect then returned several hours later at about 3:30 a.m. Sunday morning and stole the second Vantage 322 welding machine according to Captain Crystal Holmes.

They returned for a third machine at about 7 a.m. Holmes said.

“These particular welding machines are portable, they're on wheels, and so they're very popular in our area of this particular industry,” Holmes said.

The suspect is described as tall with a medium build and wearing a black hoodie, purple gloves, black pants and black shoes with what resembled a Nike swoosh.

“If these particular pieces of equipment are discovered by law enforcement, they will run the serial numbers and they will know that they are stolen from this area and we can get them returned to the owner,” Holmes said.

.Deputies ask that anyone with information contact them or Crime Stoppers.

“If someone is offered these machines, know that they run anywhere from $17,000 to $24,000, on average, and if you're getting a better deal than that, it may be stolen,” Holmes said.

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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.

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