By By Lori Dann
Advance Staff Writer
Two pickup trucks stolen from Escambia County, Ala., and Escam-bia County, Fla., were uncovered, literally, on Thursday morning.
Deputies and investigators from the Escambia County Sheriff's Office in both states, along with the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, located the two trucks in an old gravel pit in Conecuh County. One of the trucks, which was stolen from the Stanley Crossroads Community north of Flomaton, was buried in the ground at the pit, which is located off U.S. Highway 41 near Repton.
"Someone had to use a front-end loader or tractor to bury the truck," Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff Tim Hawsey said of the 1994 GMC pickup. "A hole was dug in the ground and the truck was totally submerged, with pine trees growing on top of it."
The buried truck was stolen from a residence on Sardine Road on Oct. 16, 1999.
Authorities found another pickup truck, a 1987 Toyota, which had been stolen from Escambia County, Fla. The truck was discovered a short distance from the gravel pit. Hawsey said it had been stripped and burned but not buried.
A third pickup truck, also a Toyota, was recovered on March 5 by the Evergreen Police Department.
"We do have a suspect under investigation for the theft of these three trucks," Hawsey said. "The person has not been located."
The case remains open, Hawsey said.