In I noted that the fallout from "rampant greed,
reckless speculation, and failed policies" had triggered a growing rash
of thefts of wire, drain covers, and other metal products that were being
sold to dealers for quick cash. If the following reports are any guide,
today's hard times have also spawned an illicit interest in a range of items
that have not been traditionally targeted by criminal elements:
"Thieves
Steal Utility Poles Out of the Ground" (The
Sun Times)
Three hydro
poles that were in the ground and hooked to wires were stolen from along Rd.
49 in the Municipality of Grey Highlands.
The pressure
treated hydro poles, 40 feet in length with a combined value of about $1,800,
were reported missing Tuesday morning by Hydro One staff. The poles, were taken from Rd. 49, south of Grey Rd. 4,
between South Line A and Conc. 4 sometime in the past three weeks. The base
of the poles had been placed in holes and the lines attached, though the
holes had not yet been backfilled nor had the power been activated, though
there was the possibility of slight phantom voltage, Grey County OPP said in
a news release.
"Given the
length, girth and weight of these poles the person or persons responsible
would have needed heavy equipment to remove and transport them.
"Thieves
In Chatham Targeting Air Conditioners" (CBS)
Residents of
the Chatham neighborhood have been put on notice to keep an eye on their air
conditioners.
Thieves have
been sneaking into back yards and crawling onto rooftops to steal entire
central air conditioning units.
As CBS
2’s Kristyn Hartman learned, a rash of
central air theft on the South Side prompted one neighborhood to put out a
warning.
"Thieves
Steal Hot Air Balloon, Trailer" (My
Fox Atlanta)
LAWRENCEVILLE,
Ga. - A hot air balloon is missing and Gwinnett County police are asking for
your help.
They say
thieves took off with a hot air balloon and its trailer sometime Monday night
from a driveway in Lawrenceville.
"Stolen Ammonia
Tank Found -- Empty of Hazardous 1,000-Gallon Load"
(Mlive.com)
MENDON —
A 1,000-gallon tank of anhydrous ammonia stolen from a farm field in Leonidas
Township Saturday was found Monday afternoon on Longnecker
Road north of Mendon, empty.
Sandy Spence,
assistant manager of Crop Production Services, the company that owns the
tank, said the tank was full when it was stolen.
She said it
appeared that none of the product had leaked during transfer, suggesting
“obviously the person knew what they were doing.”
The theft is
still believed to be the work of manufacturers of the street drug,
methamphetamine, Spence said.
"Asheville
Police Investigate Stolen Outdoor Furniture from Marco's Pizzeria"
(Citizen-Times.com)
ASHEVILLE
— City police are investigating the theft of outdoor furniture from
Marco's Pizzeria, 1854 Hendersonville Road.
Four metal
tables and 16 chairs were missing from outside the business Friday morning.
Owner Marco Lacagnina said the furniture, purchased
about four weeks ago, was secured with locks.
"It's hard
enough with the economy the way it is and all the restaurants we have in this
town," he said. "You try to do the best you can, then someone does
something like this to you."
"Police
Investigating Funeral Home Burglaries, Drug Overdoses"
(KRISTV.com)
CORPUS CHRISTI
- It may not be a street drug that you hear about often, but emergency room
doctors at Spohn Memorial say over the past couple
months they have seen a sharp increase of patients overdosing on embalming
fluid.
Just last night
police say 3 teenagers were hospitalized after they may have inhaled the
stuff. Police say the boys were found at a home in the 300 block of Jackson
Place in various stages of distress, talking incoherently, and even putting
up a fight with paramedics as they tried to administer aid. Officers say they
also found marijuana in the home.
In a separate
investigation police are also investigating two burglaries at Maxwell P.
Dunne Funeral Home on Morgan where formaldehyde was the only thing stolen in
both incidents.
Michael J. Panzner
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