Well, I got my truck back, about 30 hours after I reported it stolen. I reluctantly have to ‘thank’ Facebook for its return.
After filing report with police, and then calling my insurance company who confirmed I had no theft coverage, I posted
an ad on craigslist lost/found. A few hours later I got a response from that ad, saying my truck was spotted about
15 miles away in a liquor store parking lot. The guy remembered it well, because the driver stalled it driving in.(HA!).
He described the guy to me, and I went looking for it in that neighborhood for a few hours… no luck.
In the meantime, I forwarded the craigslist ad to a friend of mine, who said he would pass word along to his hot-rodder friends
in his car-club… before long, someone posted to their facebook , and then it spread around quite a lot on there…
Following evening I was at restaurant with a friend, I had my phone turned off. After dinner, turned phone on ,
Had 50-missed calls, and 50 messages…. – my truck was being “held” at a 7-11 parking lot, only 10 blocks from my house!
I rushed there, to find a guy (didn’t know him, but he saw facebook posting) refusing to let this other guy leave with my truck before police came.
Police took about a half hour more to come, in which time thief had plenty of opportunity to leave, but he chose to stay. He was
homeless/ barley coherent, quite disheveled, but with balls of steel. In front of me he tried again to get in truck and leave!
I resisted all urge to do violence, and patiently waited for police… Still he remained, and refused to leave. He even allowed me
to take his picture standing beside truck!!!! Very bizarre!!
Police arrive, arrest him, and I drive home…. No apparent damage (besides pryed-off locking gas cap) .
Gave a nice reward to fellow who didn’t let guy leave… (he had confirmation of license plate that it was stolen truck).
Thief was a match to description/spotting gave day before.
Anyways, I am/was kind of anti-facebook… but I have to give credit to its power in reaching a lot of people …
-Jamie
