Tehachapi police are investigating a grand theft
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT: The morning of November 30 began like any other for Seth Snowder as he prepared to leave for work. He realized his tools were missing from the rear of his vehicle, however, by the time he arrived.
“So then I realized that all of my tools were gone that I’ve been building up for the past seven years,” Snowder went on to say.
An anonymous person entered into Snowder’s truck in the middle of the night and stole around $5,000 worth of equipment.
“It’s how I go my day-to-day, it’s how I make money,” said Snowder. “So the fact that I don’t have tools—I wasn’t able to do anything. So that day was ruined.”
As an HVAC tradesman, he claims that the tools he lost were not the type that could be easily replaced at a Home Depot; rather, they were unique and costly.
“He just walked in and popped this thing open.” “This is where I keep all of my expensive tools,” Snowder adds, motioning to a container on the side of his work vehicle. “And then, there was a couple of things in this bin, not as important, but still, they got stolen.”
Seth Snowder was the victim of one of four thefts on the night of the 30th. According to Tehachapi Police, the total loss was more than $18,000 in stolen tools. While video of the suspect exists, Sergeant Jason Dunham says no one has been identified as of yet.
Sergeant Dunham highlights that the city’s location directly off Highway 58 creates a potential ease for offenders to target what has traditionally been a safe community.
“I’ve worked here for 17 years, so this community— oftentimes people don’t lock things up,” Dunham went on to say. “I don’t think they realize that there are people that come here knowing that and want to victimize those people.”
During the holiday shopping season, the city strengthens patrol in business districts and encourages everyone to lock their automobiles and keep their belongings safely.
They also claim to be here to assist the community.
“If you feel like your stuff’s not secure and you would like us to check up, we can do that,” she said.
Snowder said he doesn’t think he’ll get his tools back. And the replacement cost will almost certainly be paid for out of his own pocket.
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