Persistence, Internet lead to stolen trailer

PALMER — When his trailer and the four-wheeler inside it were stolen early last week, Bob Greer decided to do something about it.

“I put a posting on Craig’s List,” Greer said of the popular classified advertising site.

Greer said the trailer had a chain around it and a flat tire. That didn’t slow the thieves down. They even cut power to his home in order, he believes, to neutralize any security lights or cameras he might have had. The trailer went missing July 19 and the ad was up on Craig’s List that night.

“Please help me to find it as I have worked hard to earn them,” the ad reads, in part.

In short order, Greer said, he received a text message from an off-duty Anchorage cop who lives in the neighborhood near the intersection of Seldon Road and Lucille Street north of Wasilla.

“He said, ‘Well, I think I know where your trailer is at,’” Greer said.

So Greer called Alaska State Troopers and July 21 accompanied them to the property his tipster had identified. Troopers declined to comment because the investigation is still ongoing. It’s unclear if any arrests have been made. As of Thursday, the man Greer suspects was behind the theft had not been charged in court.

At the home Greer and troopers went to, there were a number of trailers parked outside, Greer said, but not his. And none of them appeared to be stolen, either, he said.

So Greer said he called his tipster back and the man told him the trailer wasn’t outside, it was in the garage.

Greer said he relayed that information to troopers, as well as the identity of his tipster. He said the fact that he was dealing with an Anchorage cop seemed to give the information some weight, but troopers still didn’t have enough evidence to file for a search warrant.

That’s where the garage door opener comes in. As he waited near the property, Greer said, he started talking with some of the neighbors. He mentioned that, along with the trailer, thieves had made off with his garage door opener. A neighbor said he had just bought one — from the owner of the home troopers were trying to search.

Greer said he went to take a look at the opener.

“Sure (enough), right in his garage was my garage door opener. That gave them a little bit of probable cause,” Greer said.

With that, troopers got into the garage and there was Greer’s trailer. The thieves had pulled decals off the side and broken one of the lights on the trailer.

Troopers also started looking more closely at the other trailers, Greer said. He said troopers seized them, calling in two tow trucks to remove them. Greer said he thinks troopers are investigating other potentially stolen items found on the property, a fact he made sure to share with Craig’s List browsers.

“If you have had something stolen check with the troopers. They are going over a lot of stuff,” he wrote in a follow-up posting.

Greer said his four-wheeler is still missing. He said he was happy to have his trailer back, but he’s also happy to have his peace of mind back.

“The beauty of it is at least you’re not suspicious of everyone that’s driving around in your neighborhood,” he said.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.