LAPORTE, Ind. – The theft of a custom-made cart offering fresh eggs from backyard chickens is the latest in a series of recent thefts at unmanned roadside farm stands in Indiana and Michigan.

More than one individual appears to be involved in the rash of thefts in LaPorte, Porter and Lake counties and neighboring Berrien County, Mich.

In one case, the theft of $100 from a deposit box at a produce stand in Wanatah on Aug. 25 was linked to an older woman further described as white and having no teeth based on the footage of a surveillance camera. The footage also showed she pulled up in an older model red Dodge Journey with a dented rear bumper.

So far, there have been no arrests reported in any of the thefts.

LaPorte County Sheriff Ron Heeg said whether it’s the work of a ring was not known but he didn’t rule it out.

Heeg called the acts “pretty sad,” and whoever’s responsible “desperate.”

Each of the roadside stands were unmanned, trusting people to place their money into a container for the fresh produce or whatever else they purchased.

Police said the deposit box at the stand in Wanatah was locked but forced open to retrieve the money inside.

“That’s what’s more troubling than anything that we can’t work on the honor system here anymore. There’s got to be somebody who’s going to take advantage of it and ruin it for the rest of us,” he said.

Another case on Aug. 25 in Union Mills involved the theft of three decorative pumpkins, nine batches of cookies along with a number of room sprays, candles and wax melts from a roadside farm stand on 800 South. The stolen items were valued at $340, police said.

Police said roadside farm stand thefts in Demotte, Ind. and Galien, Mich., occurred before the ones reported in LaPorte County.

A roadside egg cart was taken night from a home on Marquette Street near the LaPorte County Fairgrounds.

A security camera on the property shows two men described as white in dark clothing getting out of an older model Chevy S-10 or Ford Ranger and placing the wooden egg cart in the bed of the pick-up truck

Owner Jeff Rancatore said he made the stand himself and it also contained a built-in cooler to keep his eggs fresh for customers.

He placed a jar on the cart for customers to deposit their money into for the eggs from the 20 chickens at his residence. Rancatore said there were no eggs or money in the cart, which weighs about 100 pounds.

The footage shows the thieves never looked for any eggs or money before loading the cart into the bed of the truck and leaving in less than two minutes.

Rancatore said his night vision camera was too far away, though, to get a clearer view of the suspects.

Until he builds another cart, he plans to set a cooler on his front porch for customers to reach in and grab eggs along with a container for their money.

Rancatore said he’ll keep the new stand closer to his house so it’s near his security camera to help identify suspects in the event of another theft.

Rancatore, 54, said selling eggs became a hobby after he purchased his first ever flock of 20 birds in the spring at the request of his wife, who also never had chickens.

The birds, unless they’re roaming in his yard, are kept in a coop he built from scratch.

“This is new to us. Just like gardening. A couple of years ago, she wanted a big garden so, now, we have a big garden and chickens,” he said.