BOLO: Stolen Knife - Michigan Area

TStetz

TStetz

Joined
May 25, 1999
Messages
245
BOLO: Be On the Look Out

Posting this for knifemaker L.T. Wright. A customer of his had a knife stolen this past weekend. It's a distinctive style and serial numbered so if it pops up he'd appreciate a heads up.

Guys, I have been notified by a customer that a knife I made him has been stolen from his vehicle on Saturday night in front of the Office Max in Westland, MI. The knife is a tanto style with removable scales, the knife is gunkoted black with black scales. under the scales the knife has a serial number...
OPSI-LTW-001...It was stolen in Michigan along with a large amount of bodyguard equiptment. He is offering a$100.00 reward for the knife. you can contact me at knifemkr@sbcglobal.net

Thanks
L.T. Wright
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LTtanto.jpg
 
Please provide us with more details
1. where was it stolen? what city?


That way pirates can keep an eye out for it...
Figgures it was stolen in Michigan...the top two misery states..

Ren
 
With all due sympathy at the loss and every hope that it is recovered and the guilty party brought to justice, it's not a Bolo. You might get better results if you titled your thread Tanto-Style, Fixed-Blade, Custom Knife Stolen in Michigan Area.
 
And actually, that's exactly what BOLO means. Sorry, habit from work ;) Usually there's a bunch of cops on the boards, I just figured folks would know what it meant.
 
Ren the devils trailboss said:
Please provide us with more details
1. where was it stolen? what city?


That way pirates can keep an eye out for it...
Figgures it was stolen in Michigan...the top two misery states..

Ren
Click to expand...

I'll try and find out. L.T. was having trouble posting so he asked me to do it. You guys know as much as I do right now.
 
I'm not going to copy this thread to the Hall of Shame -- it's too confusing. I could post a link with a more descriptive title, but how could anyone possibly recognize the stolen knife from that tiny picture? If you have better pictures and more information we might have some chance of being able to help....
 
Still waiting for the details on where in Michigan. L.T. called the guy and got his voice mail. Waiting on the call back. I e-mailed him and asked if he has a larger pic of the knife.
 
Okay, I updated the original post with a much larger pic and added the exact location of the theft: from in front of the Office Max in Westland, MI.

I dunno if anyone will encounter this blade or not but it can't hurt to take a look. Thanks in advance.
 
Bolo is fine, we use it all the time. I would have him look around on the internet, maybe they will try and sell it on ebay or craigslist something of that sort.
 
UnderTheRadar said:
Bolo is fine, we use it all the time. I would have him look around on the internet, maybe they will try and sell it on ebay or craigslist something of that sort.
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I'm not a cop and I certainly knew instantly what BOLO meant. But somehow I kind of doubt that people committing vehicular burglaries would be likely to offer their loot on eBay or Craigslist. It might turn up in a pawn shop, but more likely would be sold on the street or traded for drugs I suspect.
 
Dr. Mudd said:
I'm not a cop and I certainly knew instantly what BOLO meant. But somehow I kind of doubt that people committing vehicular burglaries would be likely to offer their loot on eBay or Craigslist. It might turn up in a pawn shop, but more likely would be sold on the street or traded for drugs I suspect.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know its a long shot. I do mostly thefts and burglaries at work at that's what we usually see as well. Junkies either have no idea what they have and pawn it for next to nothing, or they just don't care. They have no investment in an item so they don't care if they get $20-$30 for something that might be worth much more. It's money for their next fix, that's all they're worried about.

Still, just trying to help a brother out here. Ya never know, it may actually turn up somewhere. At least its serial numbered if it does. That way you actually now that its the correct knife if you find it. Hopefully the local pawn shops up there actually report to the police (most of ours do fortunately).
 
Dr. Mudd said:
I'm not a cop and I certainly knew instantly what BOLO meant. But somehow I kind of doubt that people committing vehicular burglaries would be likely to offer their loot on eBay or Craigslist. It might turn up in a pawn shop, but more likely would be sold on the street or traded for drugs I suspect.
Click to expand...
On the contrary, Doc, eBay is one of the, or the, biggest "fence" out there:

By Ariana Eunjung Cha
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 6, 2005; Page A01

SAN JOSE -- Stealing the merchandise was the easy part. The ring of young men and women had become pros at snatching cashmere sweaters, perfumes and other expensive items from the likes of Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria's Secret and Pottery Barn.

The problem was how to turn the goods into cash. Hocking the wares on the black market was out. They didn't have the contacts. And any attempt to return the goods for refunds would probably be rebuffed without some proof of purchase.

Soon they hit upon a solution: eBay.

The Silicon Valley-based auction house has become a fabulously successful mechanism for sellers of all kinds: mom-and-pop jam makers, collectors of fine antiques, people who just want to make a few bucks off the stuff collecting dust in their basement. With its global customer base of more than 100 million and software that allows strangers to exchange goods and money without ever meeting, it has maximized profit for its retailers.

It has done the same for thieves.

The shoplifters discovered some stores would allow them to return the goods without receipts for store credit or gift cards. They then sold those vouchers on the giant online marketplace. It was easy, instant and anonymous. The money flowed in -- they got 76 cents per dollar of stolen merchandise, a huge takeaway considering that shoplifters traditionally net 10 percent or less of the retail value of the items. The group made more than $200,000 in 10 months.

Law enforcement officials estimate that thousands of criminals continue to pull similar scams on the Internet, and enforcement is difficult. Breaking up the store-credit-for-cash scheme involved a massive, year-long sting that took authorities across five Northeast states and required them to mine hundreds of computer files, conduct secret surveillance at stores and place an agent undercover to infiltrate the ring.

In late December, Herion Karbunara, 25, pleaded guilty to organizing the scam. He received two years in jail. Two accomplices -- Lindsey Holland, 20, and Helen Macy, 21 -- received probation for returning stolen items to shops to collect the store credit. Anne Leeman, 39, also accused in the scheme, pleaded guilty the previous month. Charges in the case are still pending against Christine DeGrandis, 33.

Arif Alikhan, an assistant U.S. attorney in California, said the Internet has transformed those who in another era might have been petty thieves into major worries for law enforcement.

"There are a growing number of small-time thieves who have used the Internet to go big-time based on the anonymity that they think exists," said Alikhan, who specializes in cyber-crime and intellectual property cases.

LINK TO FULL ARTICLE: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=5328178

Google "stolen" + "eBay" and be prepared to spend hours reading.
 
From what I've seen at work it depends on the thieves. Junkies go for the quick and easy buck: pawn shops or the street. If its a smash and grab or a burglary with the usual electronics or guns stolen it's generally the same.

More sophisticated thieves definitely do use Ebay. Generally we've seen this more with larger scale retail theft rings, or thefts of collectibles from private residences, antique shops etc. We have a number of cases currently where the items were fenced on Ebay. Sometimes directly by the actor, other times after being filtered through a 3rd party dupe.
 
Gentlemen (and ladies if there are any in here),
I happen to be the "customer" that LT is referring to. Here are the details:
On Saturday February 9th, 2008 sometime between approximately 20:15 Hrs and 20:45 Hrs at the Westland branch of Office Max (Located at 35150 Central City Parkway, Westland, MI 48185) whilst I was inside the store, my 2004 Ford Explorer was broken into. Both passenger side windows were smashed and approximately $8,500 worth of my personal belongings and my tactical, medical and security equipment (that I use during the course of my normal working day as a personal protection specialist (AKA "Bodyguard")) was stolen from inside. Amongst the stolen items was the knife that LT mentioned above. The "Overwatch" was commissioned by me and made by LT for my company - Overwatch Protection Solutions International - as you can probably imagine, the knife is a treasured possession that I would very much like to get back but, erring on the side of reality, I realize that I will probably never see it again. I am indeed offering a $100 reward for the return of the knife and any of the equipment that I can recover since my insurance company decided to put their ski masks on as well when I called them after the robbery. Obviously, I would like to find out the person responsible and kick his/her/it's rear end right off the planet but common sense and good old fashioned responsibility are preventing me from following along that path.

I would deeply appreciate any advice (except for the "don't carry it in your car" type of advice since, being a professional working in a field where that type of kit is required, makes it difficult to follow those guidelines) or assistance that your community may be able to offer in trying to recover my property. Any leads or other information that could potentially lead to the recovery of my property and/or that leads to the arrest and punishment of the offender(s) would be gratefully and humbly appreciated.

Thank you for your time and effort in reading/responding to this post.

Sincerely & Respectfully Yours,​
 
hey didnt you get this back? i heard this story from LT and he said he had found a knife that was stolen and bought it back for the previous owner is this the same ?
 
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