Pickups stolen near Salamonia

Two pickup trucks were stolen Sunday morning near Salamonia.
A silver 2016 Dodge Ram was stolen from outside the residence of Mike Kunkle, 7395 E. 400 South, sometime in the early morning Sunday.
Kunkle had been planning to purchase a car, and had attached a trailer to the Ram and left $4,000 cash inside.
Kunkle reported the theft to Jay County Sheriff’s Office at 6:29 a.m., and police suspect the car was stolen around 5 a.m. Sunday.
The trailer was found abandoned nearby on county road 850 East, just north of the intersection of county road 400 South. Also found with the trailer was a red 2000 Chevrolet Silverado.
Police said the Silverado has not been registered since 2015, and a vehicle identification search found that it was last registered in Illinois.
Another pickup was stolen from Brian LeMaster’s home at 720 E. 300 South. LeMaster reported the theft of his red 2000 Dodge Ram at 7:24 a.m.
The Ram had a red Cummins decal on the rear bumper.
Jay County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the two auto thefts, and investigator Patrick Wells stressed that residents should get in the habit of locking their car doors.