Tom GantertWhitsett, NC – Police pulled over a stolen 18-wheel tractor-trailer that was carrying 18,000 pounds of commercial bathroom paper products on March 18, according to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies from the Specialized Enforcement Unit were tracking the tractor-trailer after it was spotted making a traffic violation, according to WTHR.
The police followed the tractor-trailer to a warehouse facility that was a short distance from the highway.
Police determined the tractor-trailer was stolen locally and was being used to transport toilet paper and other paper products.
Police interviewed the driver but no arrests had been made, according to the Guildford County Sheriff’s Office. The driver is a suspect in the theft of the trailer, according to police.
Guilford County Sheriff’s Captain Daryl Loftis told the Associated Press that the truck’s cargo included a mixture of paper towels, toilet paper and other products.
Capt. Loftis said the cargo was not illegal and that only the trailer was stolen, according to the Greensboro News & Record. Capt. Loftis said it was “legitimate cargo going to a legitimate place.”
Police are not releasing the name of the driver because the issue of toilet paper is “fairly sensitive right now,” according to Capt. Loftis.
Nationwide, there is a shortage of toilet paper as the coronavirus has caused it to be hoarded.
The Newport Police Department in Oregon posted on Facebook that residents have been calling 911 when they run out of toilet paper, according to USA Today.
Charmin has posted a note on Facebook about the shortage.
“We understand how frustrating this is, and we want you to know we take our responsibility to our consumers very seriously,” the post read. “We are producing and shipping Charmin at record high levels, and working diligently to get product out to our retailers as fast as humanly possible …”