Maryland Man Sought in Theft of Over $3 million Worth of Construction Tools
A warrant is out in for a 52-year-old Jessup, Maryland man indicted for the theft of $5-6 million worth of construction tools.
 |
| More than 18,000 tools stolen from stores construction sites, vehicles and residences were recovered in an investigation of a theft ring. |
According to WMAR-2 News in Baltimore, the investigation turned up about 18,000 total tools. To date, only about 155 people reported tools being stolen, which accounts for only $290,000 worth of the items.
Seth Hoffman, a spokesperson for the Howard County Police Department said that Jose Aceves of Jessup, Maryland is believed to be the ringleader associated with most of it. He failed to appear in court on September 9 and there is currently a warrant out for his arrest.
Hoffman told WMAR-2 News that investigators uncovered others who may have been involved but focused on the person who was associated with the storage units where the tools were found.
Most of the items were stored in Howard County, however, the case spanned multiple states including Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Police believe the tools were stolen from stores, businesses, vehicles, residential properties and construction sites across the three states.
Nearly a quarter of the recovered items are new in the box items believed to be stolen from retail locations.
It was reportedly a GPS tracking device placed on a piece of equipment by a Sterling, Virginia construction contractor that led police to the stolen tools. He reported the thefts to the police and used the tracker to trace his tools to a storage unit in Elkridge, Maryland.
Ultimately, investigators obtained warrants for 12 locations, 11 of which were in Howard County, and recovered nearly 18,000 items.
Howard County Police are still in the process of returning stolen items to their rightful owners. Tools without an identified owner will be sold at auction at 9 a.m, on Saturday, November 16 in West Friendship, Maryland.
For a video on the WMAR-2 News report click here.
CONTRACTOR SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The October/November 2024 of Contractor Supply magazine is here!
Our cover story, A Rewarding Passion - Dale Hahs II, third-generation of Denver's AIS Industrial & Construction Supply, is STAFDA's incoming 2025 president.
A Special STAFDA section featuring a welcome address, an agenda, session previewss by presenters and much more. Also in this issue are our Industry Updates on: Lifting, Moving and Material Handling; Lasers, Levels and Measurement; Hand Tools; Cordless Power Tools; Drill Bits and Cutting Tools; and Toolboxes, Bags and Belts.
This digital edition, sponsored by BECK AMERICA Inc., is fully searchable and contains live links to every advertiser and new product listing. Click away!
| Read the Articles Read the Digital Edition |
