Light Trailer Stolen in Harris County Recovered with Other Stolen Equipment by Houston Police, 1 Arrest
- September 19, 2012
- recovery stories
On August 27, the construction site foreman in charge of a 2011 Trailer Light Tower contacted the Harris County Sheriff Department to report that two light towers they were renting from the rental company were stolen from their construction site in far West Harris County, Texas. Harris County deputies verified the theft and entered the equipment’s information into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in one of the light towers.
A short while later, patrol officers from the Houston Police Department picked up the silent LoJack homing signals from the stolen light tower on the Police Tracking Computers installed in their patrol vehicles. Following the directional and audible cues from the LoJack computers, the officers tracked the signal to a residential area, where they located the light tower on two acres of land. Auto Theft officers were summoned to the location to take over the investigation. Officers gained consent to search from the property owner, and positively identified the light tower. While on the property, the officers located two other trailers – including a water tank trailer and diesel fuel trailer – that had also been reported stolen to the Harris County Sheriff Department. A suspect was arrested, transported downtown, and charged with three counts of felony theft. The total value of the property recovered was estimated at $45,000.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the 2011 Trailer Light Tower in January of 2012 at MAGNUM – United Rentals in Berlin, Wisconsin.