Thieves take beer from stores, shout 'Yahoo' as they leave

AUGUSTA - Authorities in this eastern Georgia city have been busy investigating odd thefts of beer from convenience stories, where the suspects run out the door screaming ``Yahoo.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The robberies have been reported as far away as Texas, and it&#39;s become known as ``Yahooing beer.&#39;&#39; The problem has been particularly bad in Augusta. <br> <br> ``It is a big problem. Two of our stores got hit on the same night,&#39;&#39; said Denise Price, who manages an Amoco gas station in Augusta. <br> <br> A college student from Texas who was arrested for allegedly stealing beer described the process on his Web site. <br> <br> ``You run into the store, grab a six-pack, and run out while yelling &#39;Yahooooooo!&#39;&#39;&#39; he wrote. ``The whole process takes about 20 seconds. Before the store clerk has any time or thought to act, you&#39;re gone.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> This student got away with his crime the first night, but wasn&#39;t as fortunate the second time. <br> <br> Pam Neal, a manager at Holiday Market stores in Augusta, had run-ins with the thieves, too. <br> <br> ``If we don&#39;t get a tag number, all we can do is file a police report,&#39;&#39; she said. ``The last time, they backed out all the way out of the parking lot so I couldn&#39;t get the number. They had apparently done it before.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Catching the thieves is made more difficult because many stores don&#39;t want to prosecute the beer bandits. They see the hassle of going through the court process not worth the small price of the stolen beer. <br> <br> ``All that does is promote it,&#39;&#39; Richmond County Sheriff Department Maj. Richard Weaver said, adding that the crime goes unpunished nine out of 10 times. <br> <br> Weaver has his own ideas of how to stop these robberies. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s a pity someone isn&#39;t there to snatch them up when they yell &#39;Yahoo,&#39;&#39;&#39; he said.

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