I don't get the stealing part either.

But then...they had a couple strikes against them before they even showed up, huh?

Reading his message carefully.. it looks like they had permission for the other stuff.. and then picked up the stuff on the side of the house too.. prompting the wife to call for 'clearance'. When he said 'no' All 4 wheel weights should have come out of the salvage truck.. not 3... that is where the stealing took place.

Soundguy

Based on what we know, ( which is just what we've been told ). It looks like the workers were there to specifically clean up debri in the front yard, and went looking for more stuff, i.e. the weights. It only takes less than average intelegence to identify tractor weights.. especially if they are laying between the tractor and the house.

In any case.. even if they were grabbed by accident.. when that 'accident' was discovered.. all 4 weights should have come out of the truck.. not 3.. that's where I see the 'stealing' occour... not when they were first removed fromthe wall.. but when they were not removed from the truck. And that's giving the workers the benefit of the doubt.

Soundguy

I've personally experienced this with junk scroungers myself. At work we accumulate lots of scrap iron from fixing the big equipment and cutting metal pipes.. etc. A couple time a year iron scavangers come in and ask to clean the place up. This last time, I walked out there and showed them the corner of our lot where the scrap is stored. They were told they could have everything in that corner -except- 4 track gear segments that were setting in our side yard ( near the back corner ). Those track gear segments bolt on to one of our bulldozer drive gears, and drives the underside of the track. They are big and heavy.. probably 100# each, and they are expensive.

He started loading stuff, and I saw him wave and drive out. Walking back there I looked for the gear segments.. and sure enough.. he took them. We eventually tracked him down, but after he sold the scrap. Seems he stold from 4 other contractors in the last couple of weeks as well. He's in jail now.. hopefully meeting lots of new 'companions' to keep him company on those long balmy prison nights in florida.

This case is virtually identical.. and is stealing.

Soundguy