Posted on 03/31/2008 1:31:57 PM PDT by 2banana
JACKSONVILLE, Ore. — A pair of hoax ads on Craigslist cost an Oregon man much of what he owned.
The ads popped up Saturday afternoon, saying the owner of a Jacksonville home was forced to leave the area suddenly and his belongings, including a horse, were free for the taking, said Jackson County sheriff's Detective Sgt. Colin Fagan.
But Robert Salisbury had no plans to leave. The independent contractor was at Emigrant Lake when he got a call from a woman who had stopped by his house to claim his horse.
On his way home he stopped a truck loaded down with his work ladders, lawn mower and weed eater.
"I informed them I was the owner, but they refused to give the stuff back," Salisbury said. "They showed me the Craigslist printout and told me they had the right to do what they did."
The driver sped away after rebuking Salisbury. On his way home he spotted other cars filled with his belongings.
Once home he was greeted by close to 30 people rummaging through his barn and front porch.
The trespassers, armed with printouts of the ad, tried to brush him off. "They honestly thought that because it appeared on the Internet it was true," Salisbury said. "It boggles the mind."
Jacksonville police and Jackson County sheriff's deputies arrived but by then several cars packed with Salisbury's property had fled.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
There was a time in America when such a thing could not be imaganed. And if it did come to be, the bandits would be shot on site. It is kinda funny how that works, shoot one bandit and the rest seem to stay away...
That’s why they take away your guns FIRST. Then you are a victim and a slave to government.
These ads pop up on CL all the time. Some say to come on in and take whatever you want. A recent one here claimed to guy had two working plasma TVs in the living room he didn’t want anymore.
I’ve had to explain to my girls that sometimes people post things that just aren’t so.
Damn. What a nasty thing to do to someone, placing a listing like that on Craigslist. I wonder if this guy had enemies that exacted revenge on him, or if he was just a random victim. Terrible.
If this actually happened, Craigslist is going to have to screen better or it will be their bank accounts that victims will be able to seize.
Wonder if this is a prank gone bad.......
Let me guess, sue Craig’s List? Report the items stollen, then get the list of stollen goods recovered by law enforcement.
What a nightmare!! How would you stop such a thing unless you happened to be home? And I’m sure the person who placed the ad knew he wouldn’t be.
I like Craigslist but they need to crack down on the criminality or face serious consequences. Prostitution, drugs, harassment, fencing stolen goods, etc., etc..
Then go after who ever placed the add...It has to be a web address that is traceable and on both hard drives, plus the IP server.
This has happened before in the Pacific NW. I recall seeing a report on Seattle nightly news, so everyone in the area should be aware. Maybe the takers just don’t care whether the ad is legit or not. Maybe they placed the ad themselves in order to have a “legit” way to get back at an enemy.
Some defense lawyer will say that there’s no law against placing an ad like that, and get his client to go free.
Hey lookie, this is my little friend Mr. Glock, drop my stuff and get off my property.
> Man that guy was just as stupid as this guy and this guy.
In what way was this guy stupid? Seems to me he did nothing wrong, just came home to find people pillaging his property.
I hope he sues Craigslist for millions.
FWIW, these posts don’t stay up long, at least around here. They get flagged and removed pretty quickly.
Anybody who takes something solely on the basis of an anonymous posting should be prosecuted for theft.
I exempt stuff out by the curb, which we respond to and take all the time. It’s astonishing what we’ve gotten that way. An almost new washer and dryer. A 19” working LCD flat screen monitor. A sofa we turned around and sold a week later for $200.
The defense lawyer can say whatever he chooses but the fact is that there is a law against that.
Some of those are an absolute riot....lol
The poor guy leaves for the weekend and his home is robbed and that makes him stupid?
Please explain why.
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