A Stokes Ferry Road couple who were woken from sleep at 2 a.m. on Aug. 2 when a loose trailer filled with deer corn hit their house are thankful that they were not hurt, despite extensive damage to their home.

Thieves who stole the trailer from the Pine Ridge General Store unfortunately appeared to have the wrong trailer hitch on their truck and failed to attach the safety chains, according to incident reports.

The store has several trailers on site and different materials are sold from each. The trailer that was stolen had deer corn inside. Rowan County sheriff’s deputies took a report of the overnight theft, and in reviewing security camera footage, they reported seeing the silhouette of a person at the back of the trailer shortly before a truck pulled into the parking lot from the direction of Salisbury. The truck backed up to the trailer, attached it and drove off, heading back toward Salisbury. Unfortunately because of the darkness it was impossible to identify the truck or the suspects, but RCSO is leaving the case open for further investigation.

Meanwhile at 2:10 a.m. the homeowners woke when the stolen trailer crashed into front of their house when it became detached from the truck. The driver of the truck continued on down Stokes Ferry Road, but the trailer, according to the husband, hit not just the front porch but the bedroom wall where the couple was sleeping. It smashed the front window, sending glass everywhere, and caused structural damage to the wall. A post on the front porch was knocked down, fencing around the porch was knocked over and decorations and garden work were damaged. But fortunately, no one was injured, but the husband said if the load in the trailer had been heavier or if the propane tanks on the front of the trailer had not been empty, it could have been a dramatically different story.

The homeowner told police he recognized the trailer because he had purchased deer corn at the store previously. N.C. State Highway Patrol took a report on the accident and towed the trailer, which is expected to be returned to the store once ownership is verified.