The Saline County Sheriff's Office is investigating the theft of a skid steer bucket in the far northeastern part of the county over the weekend.
Sometime between 10 p.m. on Saturday and 9:24 a.m. Sunday, someone removed the toothed bucket from a Takeuchi TL250 belonging to Nicholas Avery, 37, of Abilene, Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said this morning.
The skid steer had been parked in the 9400 block of East Humbargar Road, but was driven approximately one mile south into a field, where the bucket was removed, he said. The removal included cutting the hydraulic lines to the bucket, Soldan said. Additionally, the key to the skid steer was missing, he said.
The skid steer was valued at $35,000 and the bucket at $2,500, Soldan said. Damage was estimated at $300 and the key was valued at $50, he added.