Contractor’s 3rd Utility Trailer/Contents Stolen in 2 Years — This Time, LoJack Enables Recovery
- June 29, 2012
- recovery stories
On May 9, 2012, an electrical contractor contacted the Raleigh Police Department to report his 2009 Leonard 19’ enclosed utility trailer stolen from his company’s locked parking lot. Apparently, over the past two years, the contractor had two other similar utility trailers and electrical testing equipment stolen. Each of these trailers had been equipped with locks on the doors, trailer hitch, wheels and a wheel boot – similar to those placed on illegally parked vehicles. In each theft, thieves had defeated all of these anti-theft devices, and the trailers were never recovered. This time, the trailer had all of the same anti-theft devices, but was also equipped with a LoJack Vehicle Recovery System.
After verifying the theft, Raleigh Police had the stolen trailer’s information entered into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the trailer.
A short time later, a Wake County Sheriff’s Office deputy on routine patrol received the trailer’s silent LoJack homing signal on the LoJack Police Tracking Computer installed in the department’s patrol vehicle. Following the directional and audible signal on the LoJack Tracker, the deputy tracked the trailer into the Raleigh city limits, off of I-40 and Rock Quarry Road. Raleigh Police Department officers were notified of the equipment’s location and responded to the area to assist. They recovered the trailer and its contents in a subdivision off of Rock Quarry Road and Shepherd Valley Street. The trailer was in tow at the time.
Raleigh Police questioned and arrested a suspect for the felony possession of stolen property. The trailer was towed and stored until latent evidence was processed, and the owner was able to take custody of the equipment. The locks on the trailer had been cut, but otherwise, the trailer was recovered undamaged and intact.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the trailer at the owner’s request in September of 2010.