Imagine a family who’s about to move to Northern California, rents a U-Haul truck and loads it with all their valuables and memorable possessions. The family is excited, ready to embark on a long road trip to a new city and begin the next chapter in their life, only to have it crushed by a vehicle thief.
On Friday, May 25, 2018, early in the morning, this is exactly what happened to a family out of Long Beach, California. The family loaded the U-Haul truck the previous night with all their valuables and most treasured family possessions; including their children’s baby born blankets, baby toys, and irreplaceable family photos. The following morning, the truck and all the memories in it were gone. They quickly reported the truck’s theft to the police.
Later that same morning, Deputies Jeffrey Rupert and Chad Micek from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Carson Station, were patrolling the city’s Lincoln Village tract. It was here they discovered the stolen U-Haul truck and alerted fellow nearby deputies. Soon after, the truck was observed leaving the neighborhood. Deputies pulled the truck over with its driver quickly fleeing on foot. After a brief search, Carson Station deputies located the driver and took him into custody without incident.
It wasn’t until the deputies returned the truck to the victim family that it was learned just how precious its cargo was.
The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous said, “My wife was having a nervous breakdown because of all the memories we were really close to losing. We were excited to hear the deputies found the vehicle. My wife actually screamed out of excitement. We appreciate what the deputies did, we really do appreciate it and have a lot of respect for them too”
A nightmare scenario was averted for this family who has been reunited with their most sentimental belongings as they begin a new chapter in their lives, thanks in large measure to Deputies Rupert and Micek of Carson Sheriff’s Station.
Written by:
Armando Viera Jr., Deputy
@LASDViera
Sheriff’s Information Bureau – Newsroom
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