NC neighbors were puzzled about a newspaper thief. Then they set up a camera

A homeowner caught a newspaper thief in the act in his neighborhood in Winston-Salem, N.C.

James Eubanks set up a night-vision camera in his yard as part of his sleuthing. The camera revealed a gray fox gripping one of the newspapers in its mouth, Eubanks posted on Facebook with a photo of the wily thief.

Another photo that Eubanks posted shows his back lot “littered with newspapers that were still in the bag.”

“Here is today’s delivery from the foxes - nine phone books and ten papers!” Eubanks posted on Monday.

The thief was pilfering his neighbor’s papers and depositing them in his back lot, Eubanks posted.

Last Saturday, Eubanks posted two other pictures -- one shows two foxes together and the other captures a fox running with a newspaper in its mouth.

“It seems that the guys in the first photo show up about 9:30PM and play until 5:30AM the next morning,” Eubanks posted on Facebook. “The second photo is a bit blurred because of his speed, but you can plainly see him carrying a newspaper in his mouth. This morning there were seven papers and three Yellow Page phone books out there - still in their plastic bags. These guys have been busy!”

“I had no idea we were going to find foxes,” Eubanks told Fox News. “Without the pictures, no one would believe it.”

Under one of Eubanks’ posting, Janice Cook Tuttle posted: “Toys! Please provide some toys.”

When someone posted that foxes were in her neighborhood, too, Hanes Carter posted: “Guess what folks ... they were here before us.”

Carter’s post prompted a reply from Eubanks:

“You are right,” Eubanks posted. “That’s why I prefer to watch them with cameras and just leave them alone to do their thing.”