When reporting the crimes didn’t stop the thieves, Tony Hawn, of Hickory, turned to technology.
Frustrated by the repeated theft of scrap metal from his property, Hawn mounted a motion-activated camera on his property and caught the thief on video.
“I got him,” Hawn said. “I got his picture. I know what he looks like and what kind of truck he’s driving.”
The video shows a white and grey Ford F150 pickup truck pulling into the frame. A man wearing a high-visibility fluorescent green vest with reflective stripes and a red Chicago Bulls baseball hat gets out of the truck and comes into view.
“We believe he’s trying to appear that he’s in some kind of official capacity,” said Captain Joel Fish of the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office as he watched the footage.
The victim agreed.
“It appears to me that he was trying to look like he was on duty and was sent here to do this,” Hawn said.
As the video continues, the ponytailed thief walks back and forth scanning the ground. Then he comes back about an hour later and loads more than 2,000 pounds of scrap metal into the truck before leaving.
He stole a pair of steel posts, about 1,500 pounds of rebar, an antique fire hydrant and an antique indicator valve. In all, the stolen items are worth $3,560, according to the incident report.
Hawn said this is the third time someone’s driven onto his property to steal from him since last week.
After the first time, Hawn decided to do something about it. He put a nail strip across the path the thief drove down. He climbed a tree to mount his camera.
He checked the footage he’d captured of the second theft and saw that he’d missed the suspect. He repositioned the camera and caught the thief when he came back Sunday.
“It definitely makes me mad,” Hawn said. “I just hope that they catch the guy and that he’s brought to justice.”
Hawn’s not the only one who’s been a victim of opportunistic thieves. Investigators think at least five other area thefts may have been committed by the same man.
Dr. Bruce Hilton owns medical offices adjoining Hawn’s property. Thursday Hilton was asked if anything had gone missing from around his offices.
He looked beside the building that houses Barbara’s Hearing Service and saw that something was missing.
“There were two security window grates with steel bars here,” Hilton said. They weighed about 75 pounds each and they’d been there about eight years.
Hilton said several things have gone missing over the years including a motorcycle and a lawnmower.
“It’s not that unusual,” he said.
The latest round of thefts has convinced Hilton to mount surveillance cameras on his property.
“I’ll help somebody who needs it, but I don’t tolerate stealing,” he said. “I definitely hope somebody gets caught.”
Lt. Brian Kelly said it’s becoming more common for citizens to use surveillance video to protect themselves and their property.
“I would recommend any type of video or surveillance that anybody could do,” he said.
Anyone who recognizes the suspect or has information about the theft is asked to call the Catawba County Sheriff’ Office at 464-5241.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement