ATV THEFTS ON THE RISE
BY ABC-7 REPORTER/ANCHOR ASHLIE HARDWAY
EL PASO — Sheriff’s officials say ATV thefts are up three-times this year from where they were in 2007.
Deputies report 15 all-terrain vehicles were stolen within El Paso County from December 1, 2007 through May 1, 2008. Five were stolen during the same period in 2007-08.
These statistics are raising safety concerns for ATV riders like Juan Ramirez, who has been riding quads for seven years. “We work hard for these things. A lot of us are still paying for these machines and they just take it away from you,” Ramirez told ABC-7 on Sunday.
The four-wheeled vehicles can cost upwards of $5,000, plus maintenance, which is why ATV owner Ramiro Garcia says he keeps both of his rides in his garage.
Still, Ramirez says that may not be safe enough. “People get in your garage. If they want your quad, they’ll find a way.”
Ramirez and Garcia say the best thing ATV owners can do is lock up their quads and keep them out of sight of neighbors. This holds true especially during the summer months, when Red Sands in far east El Paso County gets rowdier with riders.
