Yesterday I decided to pick up the work car early in the morning to drive it to company PT. As I approached the mall, I noticed a couple cop cars parked near another vehicle. Not my problem, I figured, probably just a DUI or traffic stop. I did notice my work car's parking lights didn't flash as I went to remote start it from the other side of the parking lot. As I got out of my truck mall security approached me and asked if the Pontiac was my vehicle.
Anyway, the rear window was smashed out, the contents of the center console were strewn all over the front and, though the vehicle was running, the alarm was intermittently sounding. Seems some idiot was peering through all the government vehicles (leaving tell-tale smudge marks on the windows of each) and decided mine was worth burglarizing. The rear passenger side door was pried out where the thief tried to get in there before going with the dramatic rear window smash option. My two-year-old Tomtom and charger were missing (they were in the console) along with the military vehicle logbook (???!). The thief took one of my business card wallets but did not take any of the giveaways I had on the backseat and didn't even bother opening the trunk. He also smashed the back glass and a side window of my co-worker's personal car, breaking his in-dash TV and making off with a few hundred dollars worth of stereo equipment. He tore the interior up trying to steal the car itself but was too dumb to overcome the theft deterrent system. According to mall security the same guy went across the street to Wal-Mart and robbed someone there around the same time.
Now for the funny part; the police had just arrived on the scene when I pulled up. About a half-hour later they stopped the guy that did everything in a car a couple miles away, with all the items still in his vehicle. I got my outdated Tomtom and logbook back from the cops immediately, while my comrade had to go to the station to pick up his stuff. The mall is covering damage to his vehicle and contents, and this stupid criminal cost taxpayers almost $1500 to repair my car. Well, he'll be living off taxpayer money for awhile anyway.
All told, I really didn't mind my government car getting broken into. I didn't even mind being out of an old Tomtom. After all, this got me out of training yesterday and talking to the glass guy and body guy beats the hell out of sitting in a classroom. What I did mind was that the guy was stupid. Why break a large piece of rear glass that security would notice the next time they patrolled instead of a little piece of side glass? Why break into a government vehicle when anyone with sense knows that anything of value will not be in it, not to mention the fact that it opens you up to federal charges? Most of all, why rob someone across the street, leaving a witness who can describe both you and your vehicle? This guy resigned himself to becoming a felon (if he wasn't already) over a few hundred dollars worth of stuff that could be bought on a decent week's pay.
The sad thing is, this guy will probably be trying to join the military once he gets released. I hope he comes into our office. :)
