Additional RECENT Theft and Property Damage at Fort Shenandoah

[propertymanager]

Unfortunately the battery thief/thieves have returned. Sometime in the last week, we have had 5 more batteries stolen, and a number of campers broken into or damaged during attempted break in. The only things reported stolen so far is liquor and loose change. The thief/thieves cleaned out the liquor cabinet in one camper without taking the Honda Generator they walked over. I spent a few hours this afternoon with the County Deputies inspecting the damaged campers.
I found the bolt cutters they were using to cut pad locks discarded between 2 of the damaged campers. The deputies took them for evidence.
Tomorrow I will complete surveying all campsites for damage and will e-mail the team commanders of all affected teams with a report of my observations.
Currently I am patrolling the property at random times day and night.
The local Deputies are also patrolling the property at random times each day and night.
We are installing surveillance cameras to monitor all vehicles entering and exiting the property.
Hopefully we can help catch whoever is responsible for this and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.

Sorry for the bad news, Tim.

[Fred Jr]

Thanks for the update Tim.

Fred

[hp gregory]

needless to say its impossiable for tim to watch over the whole fort. so much ground to cover and so many places to hide. the bad news is it would seem they are geting more bold now by breakin into the campers. its not so much what they steal as the damage they do to the campers by breaking into them. as with most crooks this boldness will hopefuly be their downfall. times are tough and they are dam sure gona get tougher. sadly im sure there will be more and more of this type of thing. if these folks get caught they need to pay for their crime as a deterant to others who would cross the line.

hp

[John Holland]

I agree with you, hp, punished to the fullest extent the law will allow.

JDH

[RaiderANV]

"...... The only things reported stolen so far is liquor and loose change."

Sounds like kids/teens are walking in from adjoining properties. Will be real hard to catch. Lucky for us they usually can't keep a secret & will tell someone who will turn them in to save their own skin on a charge they catch.

[Maillemaker]

Sounds like it would be a great investment to get some auto-record game cameras put into strategic places.

And set up a darned q-ship. Make a nice target that hoses down the perps with indelible dye.

Steve

[Tom Magno, 9269V]

Wonder if the Deputies in their investigation, have inquired of the local/nearby scrap yards if they have had an unusually higher intake of batteries lately, and if so... who were the people that turned them in? Scrap yards probably paid cash and asked no questions, like name and address though... sigh.

[Steve Sharpe 0236]

Great Idea Tom. Salvage yards (if they are reputable) are supposed to get a copy of your Driver’s License or an ID of some sort when they take in salvage.

[jonniereb]

I like the idea above regarding game cameras. To take it a step further, you can sometimes catch deals online for wireless home security cameras that use IR (read as "no flash") so they work in the dark but don't tip off the offender. The benefit is that they are smaller than a game camera, they can take video, and they don't have to be stuck to the side of a tree/post where the perpetrator will just see it and take or destroy it. Stick them up in the trees to cover random campsites, have them record back to a hard drive at Tim's house, and see what you catch.

I also like Maillemaker's dye-pak idea!

I'll say this much, they're either very brave or very stupid to be breaking into campers of an organization where EVERY SINGLE MEMBER is trained in the use of firearms.

[mwmoore10261]

Tim, saw you on the morning of 30 March before I went down to mow our camp. 3 batteries were stolen from our camp. When I mowed the front of Wheat's Tigers camp I didn,t see a battery in sight so don't know if theirs were stolen also. I'm going to spray paint the next battery I buy and possibly engrave my name on the side. Don't know if this will disuade theft but it sure will make it easier to identify the thief if he turns it in to a salvage yard.
Mike Moore, 10261V, St. Mary's Light Infantry