Stolen UTV recovered in Mississippi after being tracked from Franklin County

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ga. – A stolen utility terrain vehicle was recovered in Mississippi on Oct. 9 after Franklin County authorities tracked its movements across multiple states, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

Franklin County 911 received a report at approximately 8:19 a.m. Oct. 9 regarding the theft of a UTV from a Walmart distribution construction site at 10725 Old Federal Road in Carnesville.

Deputies responded to the site and began investigating. GPS data indicated the UTV was stolen between approximately 2:21 and 2:23 a.m. that morning.

As the investigation continued, GPS tracking showed the UTV had traveled to Bremen, Georgia, where it was located at approximately 4:54 a.m. Deputies contacted authorities in the area, but attempts to locate the vehicle were unsuccessful.

Investigators also obtained surveillance footage from the construction site. The footage showed a U-Haul truck pulling an open trailer loaded with a UTV leaving the area around the time of the theft.

At approximately 10:36 a.m., GPS data placed the UTV in Meridian, Mississippi. Franklin County authorities contacted law enforcement in that jurisdiction, but the vehicle could not be located.

The UTV was later tracked to a parking lot in Vicksburg, Mississippi, at approximately 1:03 p.m. Authorities in the area responded and located the stolen UTV on an open trailer being pulled by a U-Haul truck.

The driver of the vehicle was taken into custody, and the case was referred to Franklin County investigators for further investigation.

Sheriff Andrews expressed appreciation to Franklin County 911, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Haralson County Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Pearl Police Department and Warren County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance in recovering the stolen UTV.