Trio of suspects steal $30,000 of equipment from Gardena plumber
Two weeks after his tools and work truck were stolen, a Gardena plumber feels victimized again after one of the suspects is set free.
"We have to change the laws. These criminals need to go to jail and they need to spend time in jail," plumber Robert Powell said.
On March 28, a security camera caught the moment three masked suspects broke into the Gardena plumber's work truck that was parked in his driveway. His truck was gone in a matter of minutes.
"They threw out what they didn't want," Powell said. "Got to the expensive tools and just left everything the way that it was."
Powell was able to find his truck an hour later in South Gate but said the trio took $30,000 worth of equipment.
"This business really is our livelihood," Powell's daughter Jess said.
Powell's daughters stepped in to help. One of them, Jess, quickly searched online marketplaces, including OfferUp.
"I kept keeping an eye on it and looking in other places too," she said. "A couple hours later, he posted another one, and clear as day ... I knew that's him, that's the guy.
She shared photos of tools with her father's company, K & R, written on them. They wrote the company's name in case the tools were ever stolen.
The family alerted the police shortly after. They claim investigators arrested the suspect.
"The house was packed, every room filled with tools," Powell said.
Officers found three of Powell's tools. However, with the good news came the bad.
"They told me when I was picking up my tools that he had already been arrested and released," he said. "It was just a matter of hours."
Police could not confirm the arrest. However, Los Angeles County does have a zero bail policy for nonviolent crimes. The Powells said the suspect's OfferUp profile is still up, but the seller doesn't seem to be active.
"It's like a child stealing bubble gum every day on his way to school. Nothing is going to happen to him," Powell said.
