NEAR RAYMONDVILLE – Willacy County farmers are on alert after a low trailer was stolen.

The farming family, who’s used to having produce stolen from time to time, says the machinery they borrowed was taken from their property.

According to the Willacy County Sheriff’s Department, the theft at S&S Fruit and Vegetable Company isn’t the first case this year.

“For some time now, maybe the last three to four months, we’ve had an occasional theft of trailers or lawn mowers, bicycles, that type of thing,” recalled Willacy County Sheriff Larry Spence.

Spence recommends folks lock up their belongings to prevent their property from ending up in the hands of a thief. If it does, here’s what you can do to help investigators backtrack your stolen possessions:

1. Mark your belongings with an engraving or marking. This helps law enforcement recover an item and return it to its rightful owner.
2. Take pictures of valuable items.
3. Don’t leave items in the open and unattended overnight.

S&S Fruit and Vegetable Company co-owners say they started business over 30 years ago. They feel saddened by what happened.

They said they’ll no longer leaving machinery out on their property and are stepping up their security.

Spence warns with the summer months ahead, the thefts could spike.