Nature’s theft deterrent

Everyone has a bad day on occasion, even thieves. A couple of intruders arrived at a rental store one night with two stolen trucks, each towing a trailer. They planned to load up the trailers with equipment from the rental store. The intruders chose a back alley to cut through the fence that surrounded the rental store, hoping they would not be noticed. They then brought in their trailers to load up with equipment.

They quickly realized that this particular rental store had installed security lights and surveillance cameras. They attempted to stay in a corner of the yard that seemed out of range of the cameras. This limited what they could access. Next, they realized that the equipment they were targeting was secured to sturdy pipe that had been installed for that purpose. They lost valuable time cutting through the pipe so that the equipment could be removed. At this point, they worried that they might be discovered at any moment. They loaded up what they had and attempted to make a hasty getaway.

The mud had other ideas. One of the trailers became stuck in the mud in the alley on the way out. The thieves abandoned that truck and trailer in their haste and made off in the remaining vehicle with the equipment it was towing.

The rental store owner, upon discovering the break in, made a police report. He provided the surveillance footage to the police. He made temporary repairs to make sure his store was protected. He also reported a claim to his insurance carrier for the stolen equipment and the damage to his property. The claim will be paid according to his policy language.