BEAUMONT, Texas — A suspect stole three welding machines from a Beaumont business. Now, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is asking for your help to find the person responsible.
The theft welding machine incident happened over a month ago, but it was selected as a crime of the week for this week.
Deputies said they are relying on tips to solve this crime.
On February 12, a suspect entered the property of a business located in the 6400 block of Industrial Road in Beaumont.
Three vantages 322 diesel engine-driven welding machines were stolen according to Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
“So 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.
Captain Crystal Holmes said Southeast Texas is known for welding machinery because of the oil and refinery companies.
“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.
The suspect was first seen on the property at 11:14 p.m. and captured on video.
“This particular business had a video, which is unusual, and we were able to get a vehicle description and a picture of the video. So we're hoping that by putting the video of the suspect vehicle out that people will be able to recognize it,” Holmes said.
Holmes said welding machines are stolen to make a profit.
“So if someone is offered, these machines know that they run anywhere from 17 to 24,000, on average, and if you're getting a better deal than that, it may be stolen,” Holmes said.
The suspect involved in this crime could face a felony theft charge.
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Call 833-TIPS (8477) or download the P3Tips App on your mobile device to submit your tip anonymously.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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