Randall Wade thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Wade, co-owner of Wade Plumbing in Selma, was on his way to work about 6:15 a.m. last Friday when he spotted his pickup truck leaning at an unusual angle from its parked position in front of the business’ office.

Turns out the tires are probably just fine, all four of them &045;&045; they just aren’t on the truck anymore, and neither are the tire rims nor most of the brake assembly.

The truck &045;&045; a shiny, black 2000 Ford F-150 XLT that Wade’s been trying to sell for about a month &045;&045; was left untouched otherwise. Making the situation even more bizarre is that the thieves were working under bright flood lights Wade installed to thwart just such occurrences. He figures the job had to have taken at least 45 minutes.

According to Warren Hinson, Selma Police Department public information officer, vehicle breaking and entering isn’t uncommon in the Selma area, but most thieves want what’s inside the vehicle, not outside.

It helps also, Hinson adds, to park your vehicle in a well-lit area and avoid leaving it unattended for long periods of time. In fact, almost anything that acts like a red flag to a potential thief can be invaluable.

These warnings sound like they’re working. February’s 30 breaking-and-entering complaints were down by six from the same time a year ago, Hinson said.

Of course, that’s not going to soothe Wade’s frazzled Psyche.