Heavy equipment worth $275K stolen in Snohomish County

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — A task force trying to deal with an increase in the theft of heavy equipment is struggling because of a lack of clues.

The Daily Herald reports that the Snohomish County Auto Theft Task Force is looking into the theft of nine pieces of heavy equipment, but since the machines don't have titles, they're harder to track.

The group recovered three machines in Pierce County and on Wednesday, they found an excavator and walk-behind loader. But other pieces of equipment have yet to be located.

Officials say equipment thefts usually decrease in cold weather, but not this year. With the mild winter so far, people are stealing everything from loaders to tractors for personal use or to sell on Craig's list and the task force is hunting them down.