RITA COOK / News Editor

    FERRIS – The Storage Place at 980 W. FM 664 in Ferris was burglarized over the weekend and police said as much as $5,000 or more worth of items were stolen.

    Upon initial investigation, it appeared a truck on wheels was jacked up and the wheels and tires removed and stolen, a lock had also been cut off a unit inside the gated storage yard with a variety of camping equipment items stolen and a pop-up deer blind.

    Even City of Ferris Mayor Jim Swofford had items removed from his 27-foot travel trailer.

    Swofford said he believed about $100 worth of items were taken, but both the door to his travel trailer and a compartment holding a barbecue grill were pried open, causing what he estimated to be about $1,000 worth of damage.

    As police began to gather more information Monday afternoon it was discovered other units and vehicles had been tampered with and had items taken as well.

    Video camera surveillance gave police clues as to how the suspects might have gotten inside the storage unit yard.

    Camera surveillance shows the gate to the location was forced open during the morning hours over the weekend.

    Police have not said what day the incident took place.

    The call came in on Monday morning alerting police to the weekend burglary.

    Ferris Police Detective Walter Weiss said it appeared most of the activity took place outside the units in the yard with the RV’s and vehicles on the property being most affected.

    A red Murray Moore lawn mower was found next to one vandalized vehicle however the owner of the vehicle, said the lawn mower did not belong to him.

    This is not the first time The Storage Place has been burglarized. In 2017 someone ran their truck through the back gate of The Storage Place yard, hooked up a travel trailer and left with it.

    The travel trailer was later found in north Fort Worth off Interstate 35W.

    Weiss said, unfortunately storage units get broken into and vandalized on a regular basis in the Dallas County area.

    In some cases, there were arrests, in some cases not.