Clayton trucker's big rig stolen: "I can't even make a living for myself now"

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - A truck driver in Clayton County says she’s not just out of a truck. She's out of job.

Clayton County police said a thief took Valashia Johnson's blue 2007 Freightliner from the lot where she paid to store it on the 4300 block Moreland Avenue in the Ellenwood area.

Johnson said she discovered the theft upon returning to the lot after being out of work for some time to nurse an injury.

"I can't even make a living for myself now," Johnson said. "I worked like a dog to get that truck. I mean, trucking is blood, sweat and tears."

Security footage captured the truck leaving the lot around 9 p.m. on Sept. 14.

"I come down here, and I look for my truck and my truck's gone," she said. "I almost had a heart attack," she added.

Valashia Johnson says her blue 2007 Freightliner was stolen from the lot where she paid to store it on the 4300 block Moreland Avenue in the Ellenwood area.

According to the Clayton County Police Department's incident report, the lot’s gate requires a remote clicker to open. 

Johnson claims workers at the storage facility have previously moved her truck without needing her keys.

"Everything I own was in that truck," Johnson said. "So, I'm livid, because now you done took my home, and now you done took my means of supporting myself."

A representative for the property declined to comment, and the owner could not be reached.

Since the truck was in storage, Johnson said she didn’t have it insured.

"I pray they get my truck back. But, nine times out of ten, they probably done chopped it up—took the parts out, took the motor off," she said.

The stretch of Moreland Avenue near Interstate 285 is a well-known area for truckers to park and get repairs.

Valashia Johnson says her blue 2007 Freightliner was stolen from the lot where she paid to store it on the 4300 block Moreland Avenue in the Ellenwood area.

Johnson is now urging fellow truck drivers to be extra vigilant.

"Make sure that you have all types of anti-theft devices on your truck," she said. "Make sure you check on your truck constantly."

As she comes to terms with the theft, Johnson said she’s uncertain about her next steps.

"I don't know what I'm going to do at this point," she said. "I'm still hurt. I can't even—I don't have a lot of clarity right now, and I just don't know what to do, to be honest with you."

Clayton County investigators said they entered the truck into the Georgia Crime Information Center database as stolen, but closed the case without any leads.