First at Five, June 2, 2009

EDGEFIELD COUNTY, S.C.---The Edgefield County Sheriff's Office has seen a lot more burglaries in recent months, leaving them asking for the public's help in catching thieves.

One burglary happened just a few days ago at Mid-Atlantic Sawing and Sealing in Johnston, where the owner tells News 12 the thieves got away with about $125,000 worth of equipment.

"[They] used our equipment to steal our equipment. They came in and stole my trailers and my trucks to haul all my equipment away," said owner James Rushton.

The big dollar amount is extra hard in this economy, especially since it's a family-owned business.

"It's gonna hurt. It's a sick feeling to come in and see that everything you've worked so hard for your whole life is gone," said Rushton. "I say it'll take us years to get all our equipment back."

There have been close to 30 burglaries in the last two months, which is a big number for the county. It's close to double what it's been in recent years.

The sheriff's department is hoping to put a stop to it all, but say they need help. They say people see suspicious activity, but then wait, sometimes days, to call on it. They're asking anyone who sees activity that is out of the normal to call the sheriff's office.

Deputies believe some of the burglaries are connected, depending on the location. Some of the hardest hit areas have been Johnston and Merriwether.

Corporal Robbie Harter with the sheriff's office says they've added more deputies to patrol. They have deputies coming in to work extra hours, especially in those hardest hit areas.