BEECHGROVE, TN - In neighboring Coffee County, someone decided to live out their country song dreams — without writing the actual song. Instead, they swiped a great big green John Deere tractor, complete with those iconic yellow wheels, and a large red hay baler on tow for good measure.
No, this wasn’t one of those John Deere pedal cars your kids once pedaled down the driveway in - this was the adult version. This was a big, pricey, horsepower-packed, diesel guzzling, hay-baling BEAST! All the excitement went down in the normally quaint and quiet community of Gossburg, the area that shares the same zip code as Beechgrove... straddling the Coffee / Rutherford County line — normally a place where you wave at your neighbors, not chase them down Highway 41 for stealing your tractor.
The unidentified outlaw (possibly rocking a cowboy hat — just because) was last seen rolling off State Route 64 near I-24 and heading toward Murfreesboro, according to what can be seen in a video that happened to capture the subject turning onto 41, also known as Manchester Pike. A sunset ride on a stolen tractor… straight out of a Western if Westerns topped out at 25 miles per hour.
The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department is eager to lasso this modern-day tractor bandit. Investigator Cody Koon is leading the case and would really appreciate a call at 931-728-3591 if you’ve spotted a neighbor suddenly bragging about his “new” John Deere. Local law enforcement agencies are also standing by, ready to hear your best hunches.
A reward is available for information that leads to the recovery of the green, yellow-and-red farm combo, though the Sheriff’s Department hasn’t named the price. Given the tractor’s value, one can assume it’s not just pocket change being offered.
Meanwhile, one video camera captured the outlaw cruising along at what experts estimate was a blistering 15 to 25 mph. That’s right — full throttle, with the rig attached to the rear. The driver’s cowboy hat, paired with the slow-motion getaway, gave the whole thing the air of a discount Marlboro commercial.
So far, the tractor thief has not been caught. That said, the story of the stolen tractor could easily inspire the next hit country song, perhaps titled “He Stole My Heart When He Stole My Tractor.” Until then, residents of Coffee County are left to wonder if the next time they see a John Deere rolling down the road, is it really a hard-working farmer… or is Tennessee’s smoothest, slowest criminal behind the wheel?
Scroll down for a picture of the intersection of where the video was captured of the tractor, and also the video itself, which was released on Wednesday by the Sheriff's Department in Coffee County, TN.
DISCLAIMER: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The arrest records or information about an arrest that are published or reported on NewsRadio WGNS and www.WGNSradio.com are not an indication of guilt or evidence that an actual crime has been committed.
