Area law enforcement agencies are searching for the person or people allegedly responsible for trying to break into vending machines and leaving them damaged in the process. However, one part of the investigation — the alleged getaway car — may have been secured.
Lyon County Undersheriff John Koelsch says the vehicle believed to have been used was seized at a currently unspecified location in Emporia.
The seizure follows a series of vending machine break-in reports in Lyon, Chase and Coffey counties over the past three weeks. The latest: Chase County Sheriff Richard Dorneker says his deputies are investigating after separate incidents in Cottonwood Falls and Elmdale. Dorneker says both incidents took place early July 29. Additional details are pending.
Dorneker’s report is the latest in a string of similar incidents spanning from late July into early August. On Tuesday, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office reported an incident in Hartford early Sunday. The suspect allegedly tried unsuccessfully to pry locks off two vending machines at the Hartford Car Wash before leaving northbound on Kansas Highway 130.
Coffey County, meanwhile, has had reports of similar activity in all the county’s incorporated communities except New Strawn.
If you have information, contact local law enforcement.
Related coverage here: Attempted theft in Hartford under investigation; suspect also sought in Coffey County
