According to the National Equipment Register, the recovery of stolen equipment occurs almost as often as thefts, largely due to the efforts of law enforcement officers and alert equipment owners. Below are some descriptions of recent thefts and recoveries as recorded by NER. EquipmentWorld.com will publish similar reports on a regular basis.
· In Georgia, an equipment hauler left his truck unattended at a rest stop briefly and upon his return, the load – which had contained 19 new Kubota RTV900 utility vehicles — had been stolen.
· In Arizona, narcotics officers serving a warrant at a residence found a stolen Ingersoll-Rand G25 generator being used to power part of the house. The machine was returned to the owner quickly enough for the insurance claim to be withdrawn.
· Also in Arizona, an equipment buyer noticed equipment being sold in his community at prices “too good to be true,” and reported it to his local police department. An investigation led to the discovery of more than 20 pieces of stolen equipment in the suspect’s possession.
· In Kentucky, after several damaging tornados hit the area, an equipment rental company reported the theft of a Bandit 65AW commercial wood chipper — stolen by someone who needed to ‘dig out’ from the storms. Several other rental companies reported similar thefts around the same time.
