ECRU, Miss. (WTVA) -- Whitney Taylor has a home just a few hundred feet away from the 40-plus mile long Tanglefoot Trail.
Taylor says his worst fears about the trail came true recently. He is the victim of a burglary.
"They came upon our property on the backside through our bottom and broke into my shop. (They) stole a welder, my pressure sprayer and some guns out of a truck that was in there, and that's just the problems we've had," Taylor said.
He believes the thieves used the trail to come and go undetected.
His theory may not be far off the mark.
Union County Sheriff Jimmy Edwards says the trail can be tempting to criminals.
"Some of the places on it are in very rural areas and not a lot of homes around. You can get on it and go there and a lot of things could happen, so it needs to be patrolled. It's something that's added that we'll have to do," Sheriff Edwards said.
City and county law enforcement will have to share those responsibilities on the trail, which stretches from New Albany to Houston.
Law enforcement officers in Ecru say policing the trail will be a challenge, but they plan to meet that challenge with additional patrols.
The trail is not yet open, but officers have already caught people trespassing on motorcycles, ATVs and even cars.
Agencies are expected to beef up patrols with funding from their local officials as well as assistance by Three Rivers Planning and Development.
"Over a period of time, we'll work all the bugs out and get the officers on the same page of how we're going to patrol it and what patrols are needed to keep the residents safe," Ecru Police Chief Gary Chisholm said.
"Hopefully with the patrols that we're going to set in place that we'll be able to curtail that pretty quick," Ecru Patrol Officer Chris Cook said.
