Author Topic: Legal White Male Steals From Me & Walks (Read 1102 times)

rpm · « **on:** June 04, 2007, 02:44:13 AM »

Just threw out the headline to remind you that it's not just the illegal aliens that are breaking the law and getting away with it. That is a whole 'nother subject...

Saturday afternoon one of my checkers walks over and asks if anyone just bought a bunch of empty water bottles. I told her I didn't know anything about it. She said a guy just went out the door with a cart full of them. I ran outside but he had already gone. I checked the video and had a perfect shot of him. I called the police to file a report for insurance and then thought to call my compeditor across town and tell them to be on the lookout for a guy trying to cash in a bunch of empties and gave her a description of the guy.

Before I was off the phone with the manager a cop arrived to get a report. We went into the office and watched the video as I copied it off for him. I got a page that I had an urgent call, it was the other manager saying the guy was in the store. The cop left to catch the thief and I felt that I had done my job well.

About an hour later the cop returns to pick up a witness statement I had to fill out. I asked what happened. What he told me next pulled the rug right out from under me. When he got to the other store the guy was caught loading more empties into his car. Unfortunately for me he had already ditched the bottles he stole from my store. The value of the bottles was under $50 so he was written a citation and released.

He will have to go to city court and pay a fine and it's all over. He gets to keep the goods he stole from us. I asked to file a criminal tresspass against him and they told me I couldn't because the officer did not see him at the store.

Bottom line? The city makes money off of this with fines and court costs. The guy walks free and my store takes it in the wazoo and can't keep him from coming back to do it again. He's probably going to send his crankhead girlfriend in to redeem them for deposit so they can screw me twice.

OdinGrunherze · « **Reply #1 on:** June 04, 2007, 02:58:49 AM »

I suppose that it is the principle of the thing, Right???
I understand...
OG

rpm · « **Reply #2 on:** June 04, 2007, 03:05:06 AM »

If you mean the principal of the thing is that he walks away free with my property and the city profits from it, then yes.

OdinGrunherze · « **Reply #3 on:** June 04, 2007, 03:15:00 AM »

EXACTLY!!!

RightF00T · « **Reply #4 on:** June 04, 2007, 03:57:41 AM »

rpm I'm not fully grasping what happened. So the guy came to your store with empty bottles and you take them and pay the depositor. But he walked out with the money and the bottles?

Domin · « **Reply #5 on:** June 04, 2007, 06:43:01 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by RightF00T
rpm I'm not fully grasping what happened. So the guy came to your store with empty bottles and you take them and pay the depositor. But he walked out with the money and the bottles?

He walked in, stole the water bottles and left.

Gunthr · « **Reply #6 on:** June 04, 2007, 07:15:58 AM »

Quote

Saturday afternoon one of my checkers walks over and asks if anyone just bought a bunch of empty water bottles. I told her I didn't know anything about it. She said a guy just went out the door with a cart full of them. I ran outside but he had already gone. I checked the video and had a perfect shot of him. I called the police to file a report for insurance and then thought to call my compeditor across town and tell them to be on the lookout for a guy trying to cash in a bunch of empties and gave her a description of the guy.

Before I was off the phone with the manager a cop arrived to get a report. We went into the office and watched the video as I copied it off for him. I got a page that I had an urgent call, it was the other manager saying the guy was in the store. The cop left to catch the thief and I felt that I had done my job well.

About an hour later the cop returns to pick up a witness statement I had to fill out. I asked what happened. What he told me next pulled the rug right out from under me. When he got to the other store the guy was caught loading more empties into his car. Unfortunately for me he had already ditched the bottles he stole from my store. The value of the bottles was under $50 so he was written a citation and released.

He will have to go to city court and pay a fine and it's all over. He gets to keep the goods he stole from us. I asked to file a criminal tresspass against him and they told me I couldn't because the officer did not see him at the store.

Bottom line? The city makes money off of this with fines and court costs. The guy walks free and my store takes it in the wazoo and can't keep him from coming back to do it again. He's probably going to send his crankhead girlfriend in to redeem them for deposit so they can screw me twice. -rpm

i don't understand. you have insurance that covers pilferage/theft? you actually make an insurance claim for a theft under $50??? I never heard of that, although i admit i know very little about retail business. if you actually do make a claim for such a small amount, i would assume you are reimbursed, aren't you? would you also claim this loss on your tax return as well?

as far as the trespass warning is concerned, i believe your local police need to positively identify the person in order to warn them in such a way that a subsequent arrest for trespass after warning would hold up in court. that is just how it is...

Eagler · « **Reply #7 on:** June 04, 2007, 07:46:13 AM »

what is your time worth?
I'd laughed at the crime, as harmless as it was, then locked up the bottles better so it would not happen again.
btwn the cops, watching some video of some loser "stealing" your empty pop bottles, phone calls, more cop talk and then posting about it on this bbs, I'd thunk you'd you wasted more of your time going over the crime than the crime was actually worth ..

Jackal1 · « **Reply #8 on:** June 04, 2007, 08:10:16 AM »

The great water bottle heist of 2007.
Jessie was an amateur.

FiLtH · « **Reply #9 on:** June 04, 2007, 08:43:38 AM »

The thing is, it may be a small thing, and its not the loss itself. Its the attitude of the guy to think he can waltz in and take, and get away with it.
I hate thieves. Next time follow him to where he boxes up at night, abduct him and seel him to China for his organs.

Chairboy · « **Reply #10 on:** June 04, 2007, 08:51:48 AM »

Not only that, but think of the sense of violation. This guy is waltzing into an area he doesn't belong and swiping stuff. It's water bottles now, but it could have been anything. Someone walked in the back door of one of our restaurants last year and took someone's purse off the table and ran off, for example.

It's an outrage, and some of y'all are pretty loose with his property loss. Should he just lie back and enjoy it? Perhaps think of England?

Or is the lack of concern because the thief isn't part of the hispanic menace? The "illegals are killers!!11!!!1!eleventy!" crowd seems to have had their hand on the rudder here lately.

Gunthr · « **Reply #11 on:** June 04, 2007, 09:34:11 AM »

oh i know what it is to be a victim...

i had my much loved bicycle stolen... i spent hours riding around crack-town looking for anybody in possession of my bike before i realised how crazy it was... and i thank heaven i didn't actually find somebody on my bike. they would have received a little more than misdemeanor level punishement from me -

Maverick · « **Reply #12 on:** June 04, 2007, 10:20:22 AM »

RPM,

I am not making light of the situation but what more were you expecting? Your staff (and you as well) missed stopping the crime when it happened when you could have recovered your property and had the guy arrested at the same time. He got away from you first and had the opportunity to stash the property. Even had you stopped him then he would have just gotten the same ticket for shoplifting.

Now that he's gotten away from your store with the property what did you expect the cops to do, flog him? They are limited by what the law mandates for a petty theft from a business (shoplifting) and can't just go out and do something else because you are pissed at him. They did what they are allowed to do and actually made an arrest. The "justice" of the penalty situation is out of their hands as well.

Can you post pix of the guy in the store so your staff can recognize him if he comes back?

x0847Marine · « **Reply #13 on:** June 04, 2007, 11:06:41 AM »

The police cant arrest, as in take to jail, people for misdemeanors not committed in their presence.... DUI being the only exception. Even if you or your staff had stopped the suspect 'red handed', it would be one of you making a citizens arrest.

So the officer did the next best thing, took a report and issued him a misdemeanor citation, for which he'll go to court and be held accountable. If hes got priors or is on probation / parole he could be screwed.

My dept wouldn't bother with $50 capers generally, we gave out a carbon copy "log report" to document the loss, and that's it.

It could have been a felony if:
The officer could have shown suspect entered your store with $0.00, the value was $400+ (some states vary), or the suspect had at least three prior petty theft convictions.

If the suspect had numerous brand new items on him and no receipt, a creative officer could have taken the guy for felony receiving / possession of stolen property... then been laughed at for making a $50 felony arrest.

Edit: BTW for a trespass, the suspect needs to be told to leave, then refuse... or be advised that hes PNG, then returns. If no police officer is around to witness either of the above, it's you or a staff member that witnesses the misdemeanor and makes a citizens arrest.

BigGun · « **Reply #14 on:** June 04, 2007, 11:25:07 AM »

Criminal court system is not set up for you to recover your financial loss in this type of situation. That is what civil court system is for & I am pretty sure you have that option if you are so inclined.