Two trailers disappeared from opposite corners of Dickson County within three days last week, and now the sheriff's office wants anyone with a security camera near Highway 96 or Highway 49 West to pull up their footage. A black 14-foot Big Tex dump trailer was stolen from a business off Highway 96 on Monday, August 24, and a 29-foot red trailer was taken from a residence on Highway 49 West two days later, on Wednesday, August 26.
According to the Dickson County Sheriff's Office, investigators are looking for a gray, four-door GMC Sierra truck believed to be connected to the Big Tex dump trailer theft off Highway 96, and a Ford F-150 tied to the red trailer taken from Highway 49 West. The red trailer was last seen headed toward Highway 235 West on the day it was stolen, per the sheriff's office post. Deputies are asking the public to come forward with any information about either theft, or with camera footage from businesses and residences in those corridors that might have caught the suspect vehicles on video.
Why These Un-Titled Trailers Are Hard to Trace
Part of what makes cases like these tough to close is baked into Tennessee law itself. Private utility, farm, and boat trailers are exempt from mandatory titling and registration in the state, according to the Tennessee Department of Revenue. Without tags tying a trailer to its owner, stolen equipment can be resold or hauled across county lines with little to slow it down.
That loophole isn't unique to Dickson County. Hoodline reported earlier this month that utility trailer thefts remain a widespread problem across the state, in part because the same lack of registration requirements lets stolen units move quietly between jurisdictions in a similar Knoxville-area manhunt that offered a $2,000 reward for tips. The pattern in Dickson County fits that regional trend, with two thefts reported in the span of just three days.
What a Conviction Could Mean Under State Law
If suspects are eventually identified and charged, the dollar value of the stolen trailers will matter a great deal. Tennessee law defines theft of property as knowingly taking someone's property without consent and with the intent to deprive them of it, as laid out in Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-103. New 14-foot tandem-axle Big Tex dump trailers typically retail between $8,500 and $12,500 depending on their axle ratings and features, according to RJ Trailers, which would likely push any prosecution over the stolen dump trailer into felony territory. Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-105, property theft valued between $2,500 and $10,000 is a Class D felony punishable by 2 to 12 years in prison, while theft between $10,000 and $60,000 escalates to a Class C felony carrying 3 to 15 years.
A Small Force Covering a Sprawling County
The scale of the challenge facing investigators is significant. The Dickson County Sheriff's Office employs roughly 150 deputies, corrections officers, and civilian staff to cover 491 square miles and serve more than 53,000 residents. The office's Criminal Investigation Division, which handles major property crimes like these thefts, is led by Captain Troy Martin, a 23-year veteran of the department who took command of the division earlier this year.
Dickson County's highways have drawn law enforcement attention before. In May, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the 23rd Judicial District Drug Task Force intercepted a tractor-trailer in the county carrying more than 1,500 pounds of methamphetamine disguised as animal feed, a case detailed by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation that underscored how much commercial traffic passes through the area. Rural residents have also raised concerns before about equipment security, with local reporting in March 2025 documenting a string of property break-ins and equipment thefts across the county.
Anyone with information about either theft, or with home or business camera footage from along Highway 96 or Highway 49 West, is asked to contact Detective Morgan at 615-789-4130.
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