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Swap Meet thief.

Old 04-29-2012, 11:58 AM
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Ron Olson
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Default Swap Meet thief.

As the title says, there is a thief hitting booths at swap meets/shows. He seems to hit while dealers are busy helping others or it could be possible that he has someone distracting the seller while he does some 5-finger discount shopping. This person has stolen from sellers from what we can tell so far from the Perry, GA swap meet to the Toledo show. He may have hit others along the east coast.
After this video was shown the thief did admit to it and returned the stolen goods to the seller who had the video camera up but so far his name is not known. A mutual acquaintance saw the video and turned him in to the seller at Perry. He was also seen in some photographs from the Toledo show, stupid enough to wear the same shirt and carrying an AMA shoulder bag for the stash.
No telling where else he has hit as if you figure the distance between Perry and Toledo, that covers a lot of territory for him to attend shows or swap meets.
I post this only to make everyone aware to keep an eye on him as he could steal from anyone with a swap meet table to a major seller. He seems to steal mostly electrical hardware so far, motors, servos and battery packs. In this video he is swiping 6 Hi-tec digital servo's.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j84ThCNUF2Q&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Old 04-29-2012, 12:48 PM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

Was it the guy in the blue shirt and tan knee knockers ?
Old 04-29-2012, 01:18 PM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

Yes, the kind of dark blue shirt in the background. He moves into the foreground after ripping off the dealer.
Old 04-29-2012, 06:10 PM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

Wow ....... Real class act.
Old 04-29-2012, 06:57 PM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

Yeah, isn't he? I try to think of all of us RCer's as honest hard-working family people then a piece of work like this comes along to throw a wrench in the works. There always seems to be a few bad apples that ruin it for the rest of us.
At swap meets it's hard to prove any thievery as unless you're doing a credit card transaction, it's hard to prove to police or security that you didn't actually pay for the goodies you're carrying or that you didn't buy it from another vendor. When was the last time that you got a receipt at a swap meet?
It's too bad that he didn't get busted in Toledo as I've heard that the Lucas County Jail is a real hole, lots of people awaiting trial for murder and other major crimes.
Old 04-30-2012, 03:31 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

True about proving it. I had a thief walk away with hundreds of dollars of items at a swap meet. He was spotted, chased out to his van and we saw all the other stuff he took . Police were called and it was his word against ours as no receipts were given for sales. Only thing done was that the promoters "banned" him from future events.
As far as this guy, I wonder why he did it? Financial, thrill ??
There is a hobby shop near me with security cameras and they see folks stealing small items ;$2.00-6.00 bags of parts, etc... BUT then the same people come back a week later and spend several hundred on a plane, car, heli. Says it happens all of the time and they don't bother confronting those folks . They do it for the thrill? ..........Who knows!
Old 04-30-2012, 03:46 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

This vender video is a lot better than most, but darn it sure makes it hard to convict someone without a clear image of their face.

Can I say one thing? HD video...and more than one camera view... you need more people.. that one theft would likely have paid for the extra person.

Sorry about your "shrinkage"... this hurts all of us with higher prices.
Old 04-30-2012, 04:13 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

Too bad you can get a god image of the guy to distribute to clubs/vendor,, we really need a post office wall of R/C thieves
Old 04-30-2012, 06:00 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

Another rc forum had the same video posted in thread during the Toledo show, where the person was supposedly seen again. According to that thread, the person has been identified and the information forwarded to the vendor.
Old 04-30-2012, 07:00 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

A couple of years ago Shulman Aviation had a pretty high dollar EDF unit lifted at a show like this (Sorry but I don't remember which one). Also, 2 years ago they busted a thief at SEFF that was working the vendor area. It's sad that these people are doing this as we all wind up paying the price for the actions of scum like this.  

It also helps for us (honest customers) to simply help watch out. If we see something going on by all means step forward and say something. A lot of vendors and sellers in this hobby work on very slim margins, so any loss quickly cuts into their profits and hurts them financially.

Ken
Old 04-30-2012, 03:40 PM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

Shame,,, its to bad we can t do what the NAVY does does to bad guys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53qQtHoJNYQ


BV
Old 04-30-2012, 07:54 PM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.


ORIGINAL: Ron Olson

//SNIP// I try to think of all of us RCer's as honest hard-working family people then a piece of work like this comes along to throw a wrench in the works. There always seems to be a few bad apples that ruin it for the rest of us.
//snip//.

It's not a new thing. I have several issues in my history.

The main one is that in 1971 I opened a Hobby Shop, Aero-Sports, in Mt. Prospect, IL. I was a newbie pilot at United Airlines, and it looke like I may get furloughed so I wanted something going for meself. It never happened and I sold the place out on a piece-meal rather than the business. Store owner wanted to sell out so we deleted the lease and both were happy.

My unhappys were that modelers would shop-lift so much. I never expected it and found it difficult to understand it. When those you think are your friends as well as customers steal from you it simply is a sad time or it was for me. Just out of 13 years flying for USAF and then in the Airline, such behaviour was not done. But it definitely was done in the Hobby Shop Business.

Maybe I needed the Navy's help.
Old 05-01-2012, 02:28 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

Just remember, it does go both ways. Venders do steal from customers too. Either way, it is wrong. Thieves need to be outed to all their buddies, customers and relatives and made to pay back what they stole.

Thou shalt not steal... especially porno videos (just don't want you to think I am some goodie two shoes).
Old 05-01-2012, 03:20 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

There was a very clear picture of this thief posted on a competing forum site but the poster removed the shot. I've been looking at pictures of the Toledo show to see if he shows up in any other ones. Ken, you never know, you might have one of him and not know it! This guy is very average looking, not someone that you'd normally think of as a thief. The AMA bag would make you want to think that he's a flyer but bags like those you could pick up probably at a show like Toledo in the AMA booth by anyone.
Old 05-01-2012, 05:28 PM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

Whats really disturbing about this video is, thats me in the foreground wearing the Harley-Davidson hoodie. This guy was right next to me and I never saw a thing. Pretty scary on my end. I had a chance to go thru the gate helping a fellow modeler set up and I still paid the entrance fee. You just never know......
Old 05-01-2012, 09:30 PM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

I'm curious . What happened after he returned the items he stole . Was there any follow up with the law ??? I think I already know the answer , but I have an itch and it needs to be scratched.

Jim

Old 05-02-2012, 05:25 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

The thread on the other site was locked so there isn't any more updates. Like most thieves he was only apologetic after he got caught. I suggested to that site's owner seeing how he was at Toledo to print up and hand out pictures of this guy so that they could be aware of him. I doubt that it happened as his booth babes must have been too busy putting on make-up or something. They weren't all that hot in the first place so they must have needed a lot!
Old 05-02-2012, 05:50 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

The thief seems to be pretty good at what he does, so nonchalant.
Old 05-02-2012, 06:23 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

Oh yeah, he's got it down! Wait for a vendor to be distracted at the other end of the tables then make his move. This is why it really helps to have at least a second person helping out at the tables at all times. When I've just tried to unload stuff at the local swap meet, I have at least my son there (he's 25 and a big boy) to watch over my goodies while we take turns browsing to see what others have or help people at neighboring tables while they do the same or need to take a potty or smoke break.
Old 05-28-2012, 08:28 PM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

In my haste to get somewhere once, I left my Futaba Super 8 tx in it's case at the field one day. A friend spotted it, called on my cell, and said he'd set it aside to bring home with him. He called me a 1/2 hr. later and told me someone had taken the case and all. A week later a guy from another field called me. He said that someone tried to sell him my Super 8 at the field. Several of the guys there knew me and told him that they knew whose tx that was, and if they were ever planning on flying in the area again, they should return it. He said he'd just found it, and gave it to them.

Another time I had a battery drill taken from the field, but that time I never saw it again.

Some people have no moral compass, and all the rest of us can do is to watch out for them. CREEPS!
Old 05-29-2012, 09:05 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

I had an incident that to this day still has me scratching my head. We were at the field mowing the grass. Our field then was on a military base so it was open to anybody. But I was all the way down at the end of the mowed property and when I turned around I saw somebody up by my vehicle trying to doors to get in my truck. When he saw me heading back up towards him he jumped on his motorcycle and sped away. Luckily I had my truck locked so he couldn't get anything. but it ticked me off that somebody would try that when we were right there mowing. sheez. 

Ken
Old 05-29-2012, 09:14 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

That's shocking. Although people like that keep us safe in a way, because we are more cautious about things. My grandmother used to leave her windows and doors unlocked. Luckily nothing ever happened to her.

I used to sell things at a market stall with my dad when I was younger. I think a few things went missing every now and then, but we never did catch anyone.
Old 05-29-2012, 09:54 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.


ORIGINAL: RCKen

I had an incident that to this day still has me scratching my head. We were at the field mowing the grass. Our field then was on a military base so it was open to anybody. But I was all the way down at the end of the mowed property and when I turned around I saw somebody up by my vehicle trying to doors to get in my truck. When he saw me heading back up towards him he jumped on his motorcycle and sped away. Luckily I had my truck locked so he couldn't get anything. but it ticked me off that somebody would try that when we were right there mowing. sheez.

Ken
All it takes it you turning your back,,, I was working on the wood siding of a condo years ago,, I set my skill saw down near the sidewalk and went in the garage to plug in the extension cord,, 10 seconds later I come back and the saw is gone,, I thought I'd lost my mind,, I hate thieves
Old 05-29-2012, 10:03 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.


ORIGINAL: Mary_Lachlan

That's shocking. Although people like that keep us safe in a way, because we are more cautious about things. My grandmother used to leave her windows and doors unlocked. Luckily nothing ever happened to her.

I used to sell things at a market stall with my dad when I was younger. I think a few things went missing every now and then, but we never did catch anyone.
I grew up in MIssouri and we lived out in the country. The only time I can ever remember locking the house doors was when we went of vacation for long periods of time. Otherwise we never locked our house.

My how the times have changed.

Ken

Old 05-29-2012, 10:25 AM
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Default RE: Swap Meet thief.

It happens a lot. Last year I was at a boat race in Hobart, IN. The guy running the race almost by himself had 2 props stolen off his table while he was busy CD'ing the race. His props aren't cheap and are custom-made. We're talking probably $100.00 apiece if not more. The race is held right in the middle of town so it could have been anyone from another boater to a spectator wanting a souveneir.

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