They squeezed the trailer out of the tightest of spots.

The Victim: James and Holly Lee
The Crime: Trailer theft
Date: Thursday, Sept. 23
Time: Between 11 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.
Location: 7400 block of Authon

James and Holly Lee love spending time out in the country with their sons at their deer lease in Seymour. They enjoy hunting dove and deer, and generally have a great time as a family.

“We have two boys,” Holly Lee says. “So if I want to hang out with them, I go, too.”

Recently, Lee says, they had their 16-foot trailer at home for an upcoming trip to the lease.

“We haul our jeep back and forth to the deer lease with it,” she says.

They had planned to haul some other items to Seymour, and the trailer had been parked in the rear driveway of their Prestonwood East home for several days. Around the same time, however, the Lees had some work done on their home, including replacing the garage door. Because of this, they parked the trailer on the street in the front for one day while the replacement was underway. They moved their cars, parking them close to both ends of the trailer so that someone wouldn’t be able drive up, hitch the trailer to a truck, and drive off.

Despite their efforts, the next morning the trailer was gone. The Lees had forgotten to lock the trailer latch, and crooks had somehow managed slide the trailer away from the curb so that it could be driven off.

“The one day that we moved it out front, it got stolen,” Lee says.

The Lees are already looking for another trailer, and expect it will cost about $1,500 to replace. But with deer season approaching, the family is already planning another trip to the great outdoors.

Dallas Police Lt. Barry Payne of the North Central Patrol Division advises that residents never leave a trailer parked on a residential street not connected to a vehicle because it is not only a parking violation, but also a target for thieves.

“There are two major reasons why these trailers are stolen. Obviously, the number one reason is for resell,” Payne says. “The second reason to steal a trailer is for personal use.  Many people regularly haul equipment and such, and they use them for that.

“Trailers are required to be registered and licensed like vehicles. And when stolen, they can be listed on the National Crime Information Center database. Should an officer come in contact with the trailer and check it on the system, it will be reported as stolen, and can be recovered.”

8300: block of Westchester Drive at Preston and Northwest Highway where a burglary of a motor vehicle occurred

$200: worth of damage to the driver side door, which the suspect pried open to enter the vehicle

$1,500: value of the Panasonic stereo and navigation system stolen from the victim’s dashboard