Trailer theft caught on video tape

Another crime was caught on tape and this time, it is a man stealing a trailer loaded with motorcycles. <br/><br/>Even Tulsa Police agree trailer thefts are out of control in Tulsa, but officers generally

Tuesday, September 20th 2005, 10:00 am

By: News On 6

Another crime was caught on tape and this time, it is a man stealing a trailer loaded with motorcycles.

Even Tulsa Police agree trailer thefts are out of control in Tulsa, but officers generally have nothing to go on. This case is different because the News on 6 has pictures of the crime as it happened.

News on 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright says David and Jackie Hope are still reeling from the theft of their trailer, locked up and parked in their drive-way in a quiet, mid-Tulsa neighborhood.

David Hope: "Your heart falls out, it's an empty feeling, disgusting feeling, you can't believe it, it's unreal.â€ The Hope's are lucky that a neighbor had a video camera that captured the thief at work. You can see the trailer parked in their drive-way, and then the thief pulls up in a three-quarter ton, white Ford pickup. He backs into their drive-way, hooks up to the trailer and in less than three minutes, he's gone.

David Hope: "It's very frustrating; you want to find this man immediately." Jackie Hope: "It's disheartening that while we're at working, people like that are out stealing what we've worked so hard for, it's very disheartening."

A closer look at the pickup truck shows a part of the chrome trim on the back door is missing, it also has a blue license plate and the man had brown hair and was wearing a blue shirt.

The trailer had in it, a new four-wheeler and two Honda motorcycles and wasn't the only one taken the afternoon of September 2nd. Tulsa Police officer Marty Irwin: "Within an hour of this one being stolen, about a mile away, another enclosed trailer was stolen with two motorcycles.â€

Both police and the Hope's believe this videotape will be the key to solving the case. They hope someone recognizes the truck and knows where the man lives or will see the truck and get a tag number. They'd like thieves to realize that other people's belongings are not theirs for the taking.

If you own a trailer or a four-wheeler, register it with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, so that if it is stolen, you'll have a way to identify it. The Hope's had a 2003 Rubican ATV and two, white, 1999 Honda four-stroke motorcycles inside their trailer.

If you have information about this theft, you can call Crimestoppers at 596-COPS.