OTTAWA, KS (KCTV) -
It is not exactly a typical theft investigation as detectives are trying to figure out how someone managed to steal 100 live chickens without anyone noticing.
Along a quiet road in rural Franklin County, KS, one will find a stretch of land that sticks out. The cast iron fence, bronze eagles and Jesus statue are all signs of just how much hard work owner Bo Tran, of Leawood, has put into the property.
He makes the nearly hour-long drive on the weekends and has done everything by hand. But it appears a pad lock and chain couldn't prevent a multi-thousand dollar theft.
"Our resources are very stretched. Franklin County is 576 square miles," Tran said.
Sheriff Jeffry Curry says over the weekend someone broke into the property and stole a $1,000 John Deere push mower along with a Yamaha four-wheeler and 100 chickens.
"One hundred chickens may seem odd to someone else, but to the person who lost $600 worth of chickens, it is a big deal," Curry said.
Curry admits he doesn't often see chickens go missing, but he says people would be surprised by how many reports of stolen livestock his department gets every year.
The sheriff is worried this case may be tough to crack and says tracking down the stolen equipment is hard enough, but the chickens are a whole different story.
"Chickens aren't tagged or marked in anyway. It will be hard to identify them, but the detectives will do what they can to figure out who stole them," he said.
Curry said there is simply not a lot to go off right now, so anyone with information should call his office right away at 785-242-3800.
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