PARIS – The Paris Police Department is asking the public to help find a top-of-the-line 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee stolen from Bessey Motor Sales last week, Lt. Michael Dailey said Thursday night.

The black SRT8 driven from the Main Street dealership retails for approximately $44,000, Dailey said. It’s equipped with a 6.1 liter SRT Hemi engine, 20-inch chrome sport wheels, ground effects sport package and a large dual exhaust system that has pipes exiting from the center of the rear bumper.

“Very few of these vehicles go out to the Dodge dealers, I’m told,” the lieutenant said. “It’s a limited edition.”

He said, “It looks like that vehicle was targeted.”

Most likely, the Jeep was taken to strip out the high-powered expensive motor, said an employee who wished not to be identified. There are only about three of the custom 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8s in the entire state, the employee said.

Also taken in the break-in late March 1 or early March 2 were a state of Maine dealer registration plate, believed to be D44AM; five 2008 dealer plate registration decals; a digital camera worth about $200; and a salesman’s briefcase with business cards, Dailey said.

“The dealer plate is in the system now,” he said, explaining that if a police agency runs the plate number, it will come up as stolen. The same for the vehicle registration number.

The suspect or suspects “gained entry into the building that houses the service department, where they removed a set of acetylene cutting torches on a cart,” Dailey said. They brought the cart to the showroom building and pried open a door to get in.

Once inside, the suspect or suspects attempted to cut open a floor safe with the cutting torches but was not successful.

The break-in was discovered by owner Gene Benner on March 2, but the Grand Cherokee wasn’t missed until the following day, Dailey said.

“This is very unique for what we’ve experienced, I think,” he said, because of the type of things taken and the way entry was made.

Benner said late Thursday night damage totaled more than $5,000: $3,500 to replace the safe; $1,500 to the carpet burned from the torches; and a few hundred for the showroom door and casing.

“The safe was more secure when they left than when they got there,” he said, because the vandals disturbed the internal mechanism so bad that a professional locksmith had to be called to open it to get employees’ paychecks out.

“Until we found out the Jeep was stolen, I was happy there was so little damage,” Benner said. Then, on March 3 when employees were brushing off vehicles after a major storm the day before, the Jeep was found missing.

“They took the most high performance vehicle in the yard,” the owner said. “The ironic thing is we have (another Grand Cherokee SRT8) due in for an order for a customer,” and it’s going to be turned over to its owner immediately, he said.

“I don’t want any more of this candy around for people to take,” Benner said.

Dailey said there have not been any other dealership burglaries and thefts of late to indicate there is a burglary ring operating in the area.

“Usually when we have a stolen vehicle, it’s recovered in a short period of time,” he said, hoping that someone might know who took it or saw something suspicious at the business when the burglary occurred.

Anyone with information is asked to phone the department at 743-7448; or the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office’s anonymous tip line at 743-9554, press 4.