OXFORD TWP. — Police here are looking for thieves who took at Kubota excavator valued at $44,500 from the 4600 block of Somerville Road.

Police said the robbers used a large trailer to steal the 3-year-old excavator in the early morning hours of July 11.

Chief Mike Goins said this kind of theft is “not rare, but there hasn’t been anything this big stolen in quite a while.”

“We had some motorcycles and quad runners stolen in this same area back in the spring, but it’s hard telling if they are related,” Goins said.

Goins said he has received one call from someone who saw a small trailer in the area, but he doesn’t believe it is connected.

“A lot of times, these things are already sitting on trailers, but this time they brought their own,” Goins said. “The problem we have is, this area is two minutes from Preble County and five minutes from Indiana, so if we don’t get on them, they can be in another jurisdiction quickly.” Call police at (513) 523-7131.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2852, or Skip.Weaver@coxinc.com.