tool thiefs

[Boog]

Hate is a strong word but I tell ya I just hate a thief and especially a tool thief! I work hard for what little I have and I don't steal from anyone else.
I had intended on buying a nice 1/2" drill for many years but I always just made do with a 3/8". Well last year I finally bought a 1/2" one. Just for those serious drilling times. I bought a Kobalt and used it 3 times since purchase. I liked it just fine. Well on one occasion I used it at work earlier this year and put it back inside my truck and haven't needed it since until recently and noticed it was gone. I have always parked right behind my office window and leave the truck unlocked with keys in it. I don't lose my tools. I don't leave them sitting out when I'm not present. Anywhere away from work I lock it always. I have 4 guys on the yard and all have used my tools at one time or another and there never was a problem. I looked the whole place over and politely asked if anyone had "borrowed" my new drill. Of course no one said they had. I thought if I made it known someone took it it might possibly mysteriously show up. It did not. Well I went to replace it with another like it and they were sold out. So I've put off buying one again and tonight I needed that 1/2" drill and it wasn't there and I got mad all over again. I am working on my riding mower and needed a large hole and bought a large bit forgetting it takes a 1/2" drill and I no longer have one because some scum bum took my brand new one. I'd sooner have someone take my food than my tools. So now in order to put my mower back in service I have to go buy another drill and the weeds are growing in this hot humid air. I just hate a thief. I hope he gets shocked using it or sprains his hand or wrist or something. If it wasn't so late I'd go into town and get one tonight but it's past 9 so I'll get one tomorrow if they've restocked.
I bet it's the same scum bum who took the garden hose from behind the office earlier this year too!

[yuccales]

That sucks! You might want to check out your local pawn shop in a few days. Your drill might show up, or you might find a good replacement on the cheap.

[Getter-Done]

That's sad that things have to be locked up tight Now a days.
Back when/////// My Daddy had a truck bed full of tools and
parked anywhere with no worries with the key in the truck.
Times are changing
Hope this situation turns out to be positive for you.









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[davischevy]

We have a 24' enclosed trailer that goes out on jobs for tool and supply storage. It's on the back lot right now. I went to it today for a piece of molding, and somebody had cut the lock off.

It's a mystery, because I don't think it contained tools, and I think all of our people have a key.

I checked the camera that is on it but didn't see anything. Of course the door is on the opposite side from the camera.

The last time we got "hit" was in Berryville. We got most of that stuff back.

[cornerstone]

I hear ya 100% Boog. I have said for years “I hope I get the opportunity to catch one in the act...” Well, low and behold, after 25 years of business I finally got the chance...and I fully enjoyed the experience. Long story short, a customer came into my store and had me special order $3000. of some seriously ugly furniture that she wanted to buy based on her excellent credit.... Problem was, the excellent credit wasn’t hers! She stole a decent woman’s identification and misrepresented herself. By Gods grace, I discovered the fraud before she picked up the goods. After calling her up to come pick everything up, we just dialed 911 when she walked in my store. I often play the video of the cops bending her over my sales counter and slapping the hand cuffs on while she screamed something about being innocent.

Unfortunately for this one satisfying story, I have 4-5 other stories where I didn’t catch them.

I hope you get the satisfaction of catching them, but at the least I hope you get your nice drill back. I believe it’s a personal offense when they steal a mans tools. They take away the ability to get your work done, and that just sickens me.

Brian

[weim55]

Decades back I worked at a Ford dealer an a light line mechanic. I had left work and forget to PU my paycheck from HR that day and had to turn around to go back. Night crew had started and noticed one of the guys walking in the fenced employee parking with a blue carry case that he put in the trunk of his car. Saw this through the HR office window. I had a oh s$&!moment and ran down to my service bay, sure enough, the Makita drill kit I purchased the past weekend was gone. Walked over to the body shop and asked who owned the red Mustang. Found the guy and straight up told the guy “I want my drill set back that you just put in your trunk”..... Of course he denied it an turned around to go back to work.

Fuming, went back to the service bay grabbed the oxy ace torch cart rolled it out to his car, fired up the torch, cut the lock cylinder right out of decklid, opened the trunk grabbed MY new drill set and went back home. Next day we met eyes in my bay with that Makita blue box right next to me. Nothing was said between us ever again.......

Steve weim55 Colorado

[special-K]

I see trucks on company lots these days with all tool box doors splayed wide upon to show no tools are there so the thrives don't pry and ruin the doors, lids, etc looking to steal tools.

One reason I drive a Suburban to work out of is it doesn't suggest it's a truck parked full of tools. It's nice for when it comes to those pesky DOT Nazis on the prowl, too.

I work on residences where there aren't people wandering around or passing by on foot and live where I feel things are secure. So it's rare that I ever lock my stuff to this day. I realize things have changed in the 30+ years I've been in this house. Our town has grown x3 at least (& surrounding area) and it's all people from down where they have thieves... including their children. And there is way more traffic going by my place. We still have low crime, but I know times are changing. I feel fortunate up to this point and remain wary in spite of my good fortune.

I parked to go hike along the C&O Canal the other day and there was a sign "Lock your vehicle and secure belongings" and it got me thinking about what that meant. It means your belongings aren't necessarily safe locked in your vehicle. It means take extra effort to hide anything of value from view and hopefully your vehicle won't be chosen for a "look see". I have gotten out of people's vehicles as they were locking up and gone about hiding things they were going to just leave laying in view. People don't generally break into cars just to see what's in there. They break in to get that purse laying on the seat. You are better off leaving your windows down and laying a t-shirt or papers over your camera on the seat than locking up and leaving the camera in plain view

[cornerstone]

I like Steve’s approach WAY better than mine!

Swift justice. Much more gratifying too.

Much earlier in my business I was the victim of a theft crime (they “paid” $3200. with a stolen check) and was so pissed I formed a possie of big dudes who were willing to back me up. I got permission and a key from the apartment manager (who also had not been paid) to the thief’s residence. That time I did get most everything back, only with a few nicks and scuffs.

[truckster]

I had a small table saw and a compressor stolen out of the back of my truck while it was sitting in my driveway. My only consolation was that the compressor had a bent crankshaft, and if you didn't know how to make it run it was useless. I hate thieves too.

My son-in-law comes over and borrows tools out of my garage and then leaves the door open. I've told him it really ticks me off and I've changed the code on the outside keypad, but somebody is letting him in, because I come home from work and the door is halfway open (who leaves a garage door halfway open?). I guess what I need to do is disable the inside button so it can only be opened with a code.

[72supr]

I truly do hate a thief.When my daughter was in high school her boyfriend won her an eight foot tall stuffed pink flamingo at the fair.It was in our basement for years and she didn’t want it anymore so I perched it in a tree by the road figuring someone would steal it.Every morning in the winter I would walk out to the stuffed fella and wiz on his legs.Sure enough after a couple weeks someone stole it.I guess he got what he had coming.

[FleetsidePaul]

It's worse when you know the thieves. I was married to mine.
My ex took a credit card from my office. Changed the mailing address to her new apartment and ran it up $14, 000. And never made a payment.
I never use credit cards. But I kept some in my file cabinet. This was an older one that I had forgotten about. But she didn't and she was still authorized to use it. And I should have changed those locks.
So I get a phone call telling me to pay up. And I'm telling the guy. Hey you got the wrong guy. I don't even have a balance.
Then he gives me the info on the card. And sure enough it's my card.
So I ask where the statement is going. I've never seen one. He tells me the address. And it's hers. Now it all becomes crystal clear.
I told him. Talk to her. That I wouldn't pay one more cent for that . I refuse. She already got way more than she deserved out of me. And I was never notified that there were all these charges being racked up on my card or any changes.
So she wrecked my good credit. Maybe I should have paid it. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Not for her. Nasty . And not nasty in a good way.

[Boog]

Yeah that’s the thing there when something like that gets overlooked and you find out After charges were made.
My inlaws had a real nice personalized mailbox on the farm and brought it with them when they moved to town. It was in the laundry room when their house was burlarized and the box was stolen. My FIL found it by chance on a post in front of someones house and it still had my inlaws name on it. Believe that! No one answered the door so He got out and pulled it up post and all, put it in his truck and drove away. Can someone be so stupid as to steal it and put it up in front of their house with someone elses name on it? And who steals mail boxes anyway ?

[davischevy]

It would have to hurt if the CC thief is your father.

Several years ago a couple of my daughters best friends dads came on hard times. One of the fathers lost a fortune and died a natural death, destitute, the other just simply lived above his means, and committed suicide.

Later one of the girls told my daughter that her dad had taken out credit cards in her name before he died and ran up some huge bills, which ruined her credit.

My daughter was talking to the other friend and said "Can you believe your dad would do that." Silence. The other girls dad had left her with huge CC debt too.

[67C10Step]

I detest thieves. I think they should be beaten to within an inch of their life, nursed back to health, and beaten again.

Of all the people I know, very few have gotten what they have without working for it. For someone to come along and take anything that does not belong to them is terrible. Not to mention you know they are most likely going to sell it for a fraction of what its worth so they can probably support some bad habit that makes them unemployable.

It really amazes me the number of people that go around all day every day looking for the opportunity to rip someone off. When I purchased my last weed trimmer the guy at the Stihl dealership told me if I took a break inside to not leave it setting in my yard or it would get stolen. Luckily, the area I live in is not bad at all and my neighborhood is small and tight knit. Won't keep folks from stealing and I have seen a few autos turning around in our cul de sac that I guessed were "shopping" but I made my presence known.

[Marty68]

my wifes son, was informed he had to be in school or paying rent... neither was happening so we gave him work to do around the house that was not happening either. so he stole $2200 of my tools equipment etc.
he moved out with a police escort that day. he so far has failed to pay any of the $900 in restitution. we recovered the worst of the tools from the pawn shop. the good stuff (my 5x5 8" sand blasted and painted rally wheels) are unrecovered and unpaid for.

[davischevy]

At Berryville they stole a trailer with a Lincoln welder and torches on it.

The guys drove by a house later that day and our trailer, sans equipment was backed into a garage.

My people called the cops, and backed up to hook up to the trailer. Cop shows up and asks what he's doing. My guy says we are getting our trailer, Cop says, "You know that's stealing." WTH.

My guy tells him it still has our license plate on it. The cop gets the guy in the house out of bed. He says "I don't know where that came from, it wasn't there when I went to bed." WTH again

They did nothing to the guy, told us to take our trailer. A local told us where to find our welder. That thief said "Yeah, you can have it, just don't call the cops." WE asked where the torches were. He didn't know, but said he had a set we could have if we wouldn't call the cops. We took it, got it loaded, then called the cops anyway.

It still cost several dollars to repair cut hoses and leads and get everything back on the trailer. Nobody even got charged, because we got our stuff back.

One more time, WTH.

[cornerstone]

Originally Posted by davischevy

Nobody even got charged, because we got our stuff back.

One more time, WTH.

This is such BULLSHOOT. How is this even remotely justice? Something I've personally expiernced and never understood. In this case the law protects the thief. At the very least the thief should be held liable for the damages and time lost. In the case I mentioned in post #5, the cops were only interested in the idenity theft part. I suggested to the detective that we let them load up and drive off the property and THEN arrest her, so their would be more charges, but he wasn't interrested in that.

[Boog]

Larry I bet those two who took your dump truck won’t do much time for it either. They’ll be back on the street in no time.

[Boog]

One of my drivers mother has old chicken houses from their business years ago on her property. She is a widower for many years now. A man and his son were stealing all the wire from those houses right behind her house. Ed found how they were getting in and called the sheriffs office. They drove by occassionally but couldn’t see anything from the road. Those two even dropped their drink bottles and candy wrappers in where they were stripping wire. By accident Ed was there one afternoon and heard two 4 wheelers coming in the back. He grabbed his gun and truck and took off after them. The wife called the SO and they showed up just in time to stop Ed from going to far. Low lifes stealing from a frail old woman. That’s stooping pretty damn low.

[Grumpy old man]

Ahh , There are some benefits to owning a back hoe and rural land ! They only get to try to steal ONCE ...

My apple trees are producing well this year !

[Redneck Rydes]

The last thief that stole from me, I caught them in the act, he has a hard time wiping his bottom now,you need ALL your fingers to do the job, bad dog, no biscuit,but a finger or 2 OK

[Sheepdip]

Originally Posted by davischevy

At Berryville they stole a trailer with a Lincoln welder and torches on it.

The guys drove by a house later that day and our trailer, sans equipment was backed into a garage.

My people called the cops, and backed up to hook up to the trailer. Cop shows up and asks what he's doing. My guy says we are getting our trailer, Cop says, "You know that's stealing." WTH.

My guy tells him it still has our license plate on it. The cop gets the guy in the house out of bed. He says "I don't know where that came from, it wasn't there when I went to bed." WTH again

They did nothing to the guy, told us to take our trailer. A local told us where to find our welder. That thief said "Yeah, you can have it, just don't call the cops." WE asked where the torches were. He didn't know, but said he had a set we could have if we wouldn't call the cops. We took it, got it loaded, then called the cops anyway.

It still cost several dollars to repair cut hoses and leads and get everything back on the trailer. Nobody even got charged, because we got our stuff back.

One more time, WTH.

Had a local contractor a few years ago got his work trailer with all his tools stolen out of his driveway. He lives in a rural area with lots of trees back off the road, you could not see it from the road and would have to almost know it was there.

He had a GPS tracker in it, called the Sheriff and they traced it right next door which also sat back off the road in the trees.
Long story short the neighbors drug addict, jailbird son just got out of prison on parole...he got a quick return trip to sing-sing.

[davischevy]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Ahh , There are some benefits to owning a back hoe and rural land ! They only get to try to steal ONCE ...

My apple trees are producing well this year !

I saw that movie.

[Boog]

Well I did get another 1/2" drill today and tonight I finished my mower repair and made a few laps in the dark. This drill won't be leaving my shop!

Talking bout thieves. Not too long after I was married I had replaced the battery on my truck and set the old bad one just under the side of the house and one night some guys came quietly easing around the driveway and stole that battery. A junk battery back then was worth only $1. Funny thing is my neighbor was sitting in her rocker on her screened in porch in the dark and saw them get it. She said she got a good look at the car. I laughed. It was no good and they saved me the trouble of hauling it off.

[flashed]