Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

How a fed up carpenter found his stolen power tools — and 15,000 others
Washington Post via MSN ^ | June 1, 2024 | Paul Duggan

Posted on 06/01/2024 10:25:44 PM PDT by where's_the_Outrage?

Twice before, this Virginia carpenter had awoken in the predawn to start his work day only to find one of his vans broken into. Tools he depends on for a living had been stolen, and there was little hope of retrieving them. Determined to shut down thieves, he said, he bought a bunch of Apple AirTags and hid the locator devices in some of his larger tools that hadn’t been pilfered. Next time, he figured, he would track them........

The storage unit, stuffed with purloined power tools, led detectives to similar caches in other places in the next four months — 12 locations in all, 11 of them in Howard County — and the recovery of about 15,000 saws, drills, sanders, grinders, generators, batteries, air compressors and other portable (meaning easily stealable) construction equipment worth an estimated $3 million to $5 million, authorities said.......

Though none of the prolific thieves has been arrested yet, Der said, “we are investigating several suspects for their roles in this massive theft scheme and expect charges soon.”

“Yes, yes, I hope they do,” said the 43-year-old carpenter in Sterling, Va., who helped crack the case and spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect his safety. “Jail for them.”

Howard police provided contact information for the carpenter, who said his home remodeling business employs 14 workers. He lost about 50 tools in the January theft and has gotten back a half-dozen of them, he said. He is hoping for more.

(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Conspiracy; Local News; Society
KEYWORDS: carelessness; corruption; crime; donutwatch; incompetence; theft; virginia
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-40 next last
To me this highlights government incompetence and corruption. Why did the victim have to find his tools, WTF is he paying taxes for?

And worse, the police can't figure who did it. They're too busy going after Trump, conservatives, parents, etc. instead of doing what they should be.

1 posted on 06/01/2024 10:25:44 PM PDT by where's_the_Outrage?
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

>> WTF is he paying taxes for?

for the harassment of conservatives, mainly pro-lifers


2 posted on 06/01/2024 10:34:24 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist! )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

Shaddap and obey your corrupt black-robed masters when they tell you you’ve committed a felony.


3 posted on 06/01/2024 10:39:36 PM PDT by kiryandil (FR Democrat Party operatives! Rally in defense of your Colombian cartel stooge Merchan!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

Howard County used to have a pretty good police force. I guess things have gone downhill since I left in 2012.


4 posted on 06/01/2024 10:39:44 PM PDT by jimtorr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All

Well, I guess that is one approach.

In some third world places, some people who are sick of bicycle thieves are setting out decoy bicycles, locked up like they are valued, and when the lock is cut, a safety is released, and when the thief jumps on to pedal away, a spring loaded pointy shaft in the seat post tube is triggered, and penetrates the bicycle seat and a couple inches of thief nether regions.

Not that I advocate such a thing, especially in an American city with hundreds or thousands of attorneys who may be in hot pursuit of ambulances and/or police who don’t like civilians defending their property.


5 posted on 06/01/2024 10:48:44 PM PDT by LegendHasIt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

Police are Too busy writing traffic tickets and stealing money via civil asset forfeiture to deal with actually helping victims of crime. Policing for profit is all the rage. Policing to protect the hardworking citizens not so much.


6 posted on 06/01/2024 10:49:22 PM PDT by from occupied ga (Your government is your most dangerous enemy - EVs a solution for which there is no problem)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

Hmm...15,000 pieces? That’s a revolving cache of ‘product’ that could be sold to surrounding pawn shops. Move the oldest out first, and keep ‘resupplying’ the inventory to pawn.

Police should be looking at all the Pawn Shops for the most prolific ‘pawners.’


7 posted on 06/01/2024 11:16:25 PM PDT by Gaffer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

The story says they have suspects, and they will be arrests soon.


8 posted on 06/02/2024 12:32:07 AM PDT by roving (Deplorable Erectionists Listless Vessel )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gaffer
Police Departments (good ones) usually maintain good relations with pawn shops because almost all shops don't want the reputation for being a fence for thieves.

This made me wonder what a very famous carpenter would have done if he had a similar problem back in his time.

9 posted on 06/02/2024 4:18:43 AM PDT by MikelTackNailer (We can never stop failing for the minute we do, we fail.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

The older I get the more wisdom I see in early American draconian punishments for “simple” offenses.

Sure stealing someone’s circular saw doesn’t sound that bad…unless he is depending on it for his kids to eat that week.

This from the 1700s England, one would think the colonies were similar.

All punishable by DEATH. Maybe a tad too extreme but we have went far beyond the opposite end:

High treason, including offences against the Protestant succession and the Protestant establishment
Other offences against the State
Offences against public order, including riot and destruction of flood defences and bridges
Offences against the administration of justice
Offences against public health
Offences against public revenue, including smuggling
Petty treason and murder
Stabbing, maiming and shooting at any person
Rape, forcible abduction and other sexual offences
Simple grand larceny and allied offences
Burglary and allied offences
Larceny from the person
Larceny and embezzlement by servants, Post Office employees, clerks and other agents
Blackmail
Offences by bankrupts
Forgery of deeds, bonds, testaments, bills of exchange, stocks, stamps, banknotes, etc.
Falsely personating another with intent to defraud
Destroying ships to the prejudice of insurance companies
Coinage offences
Malicious injuries to property, including arson
Piracy


10 posted on 06/02/2024 4:19:51 AM PDT by Phoenix8 (600s.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

The government didn’t want to find the thieves. It would just be a bad optic. The same was true of bicycles in the 1970’s.


11 posted on 06/02/2024 4:26:22 AM PDT by AppyPappy (Biden told Al Roker "America is back". Unfortunately, he meant back to the 1970's)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

Amigo Tool Co.


12 posted on 06/02/2024 4:41:46 AM PDT by Palio di Siena (P01135809)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

But young rich kids, offspring of stockbrokers, lawyers and doctors, get their college loans written off so they can go on European vacations...

Trade workers?

Get the police defunded, criminals embolded, must buy new equipment.


13 posted on 06/02/2024 4:42:19 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (Repeal the Patriot Act; Abolish the DHS; reform FBI top to bottom!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Phoenix8
"The older I get the more wisdom I see in early American draconian punishments for “simple” offenses."

The thing is, if one has no moral compass at all, doesn't believe in the after life, it becomes necessary to have civil laws that strict enough to cause real pain. If not, no lesson is learned.

Some folks are just like little children, they don't know what the rules are, and some don't care. They must be taught how to behave. And some do it out of anger and hate and there is only one cure for that, it comes out of the barrel of a gun.

14 posted on 06/02/2024 4:50:50 AM PDT by unread (I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the REPUBLIC..!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: jimtorr

WebSep 23, 2019 · In Howard County, where only a slim majority of residents are white, 78 percent of police officers are white.


15 posted on 06/02/2024 4:51:55 AM PDT by Bookshelf (Tto)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

Current Usage
At this point in time, our evidence shows that the most common inflections of awake are awoke in the simple past (”he awoke”) and awoken as the past participle (”she was awoken”). The most common inflections of awaken continue to be awakened in the past (”he awakened”) and awakened as the past participle (”she was awakened”). It helps if you remember that awaken and awake are different verbs, and that awakened is regular. Maybe just don’t think about it too hard when you first wake up. (From Miriam Webster website)


16 posted on 06/02/2024 4:52:18 AM PDT by Ge0ffrey
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

This would not be a crime in Boston.


17 posted on 06/02/2024 4:57:56 AM PDT by GrannyAnn ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?
Twice before, this Virginia carpenter had awoken in the predawn to start his work day only to find one of his vans broken into. Tools he depends on for a living had been stolen, and there was little hope of retrieving them.

Determined to shut down thieves, he said, he bought a bunch of Apple AirTags and hid the locator devices in some of his larger tools that hadn’t been pilfered. Next time, he figured, he would track them.
18 posted on 06/02/2024 4:58:24 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

The government is communist. The police are there to serve and protect the interests of the party. Thieves are not a threat to the party. On the other hand, Trump, conservatives, and kulak parents are an existential threat to the party and revolution.

The right needs to get it through their thick skulls that the USSA has become the soviet union with better PR.


19 posted on 06/02/2024 5:09:14 AM PDT by In_Iowa_not_from
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

Note to self....time to implement the various security measures I’ve been considering in the past few months.


20 posted on 06/02/2024 5:16:43 AM PDT by hecticskeptic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-40 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson