Stolen Takeuchi Excavator Recovered — Thieves Using Yard of Elderly Disabled Woman for Storage
- March 10, 2012
- recovery stories
When the renters of a 2007 Takeuchi Mini Excavator returned to their construction site on the morning of February 16, 2012, they discovered that unknown suspects had stolen the equipment. They quickly contacted the Stockton Police Department and reported the theft.
After gathering the pertinent information, Stockton Police had the information about the stolen excavator entered into the California Stolen Vehicle System and NCIC, the national stolen vehicle database. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the excavator. Neither the owners nor law enforcement had to do anything else to activate the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery Transponder, because LoJack’s interface with law enforcement is both seamless and instantaneous.
Less than an hour later, officers with the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Department and the Stockton Police Department began to receive the silent signal emitting from the LoJack hidden within the excavator. The officers then used the directional and signal strength cues from their onboard LoJack Police Tracking Computers to locate the excavator, parked in a side yard of a residence in east Stockton. The officers contacted the Delta R.A.T.T. auto theft task force who responded and took over the investigation.
The investigators determined that the residence was owned and occupied by a 80-year old disabled woman, and unbeknownst to her, neighbors had been storing unwanted items in her open side yard. She had not see anyone and was unaware that the equipment was even on her property.
The Police contacted United Rentals, who responded with a trailer and took custody of the excavator.