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Police looking for tool thieves targeting Richmond construction sites

Posted at 10:13 PM, Mar 07, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-07 23:15:34-05

RICHMOND, Va. -- The Richmond Police Department is asking for the public’s help in catching the crooks responsible for stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of tools and more across the city.

Investigators say Tuesday, $10,000 worth of power tools were stolen from a locked trailer at a construction site in the 2900 block of Condie Street.

“They leave it on site and at night when no one is around that’s when the moment of opportunity happens people break into the trailer or take the trailer then they take the tools out sell them get the money for them,” said Richmond Police detective Eric Sandlin.

Police say several construction sites have been hit in matter of months from the south side off of Cherokee Road to the far west end at Staples Mill Road and Monument Avenue.

Investigators say labeling your tools and or documenting serial numbers can help them catch thieves.

“You can mark it with magic marker, sharpie some way you can identify it register the serial number keep the serial numbers take pictures if you want,” said Sandlin.

“If there is a serial number and the item is taken to a pawn shop or someplace like that we can track it through a system called LeadsOnline and if the person sells it, the serial number, the type of tool is recorded, the picture of the person is taken or their ID and then we can pull it up online see who sold it, match it with the serial number and put two and two together.”

Police are also looking for the man, seen on video, taking items from a Richmond garage.

The incident, according to police, took place Friday, March 2, on Media Road in Richmond's Westover neighborhood.

"The victim stated the door to his garage appeared to be kicked in. He also determined several of his items had been stolen," a Richmond Police spokesperson said. "The morning prior, surveillance video shows an unknown male arriving at the residence in a blue pick-up truck. The suspect is seen going into the garage, taking items, and placing them in his pick-up truck."

Police described the suspect as a 6' tall white man with dark hair and a short beard. He was last seen wearing black pants, a grey jacket with a white undershirt, and a dark-colored baseball cap.

Anyone with any information was asked to call Third Precinct Detective Sacksteder at 804-646-1068 or Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000.

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