Crime-Fighting Snow Stops Would-Be Truck Thief

By Adam Pockross - January 26, 2016

Snow_in_Pittsburgh_2010

While the snow storm that walloped the east last weekend accounted for immeasurable hardship, it also did some good. Crime-fighting good.

That’s what happened shortly after would-be truck thief Euric Rodriguez allegedly made off with Robert Sanderson’s 2005 Ford truck.

According to the LehighValleyLive, around 11pm this past Saturday, Sanderson’s wife, Monique, looked outside their Bethlehem, Pennsylvania home and saw Rodriguez in the truck, which had been left unlocked with the keys in the center console. Rodriguez tried to drive away, but the truck’s wheels spun in the snow.

Monique yelled for Robert, who got dressed and ran outside. But he was too late, Rodriguez had finally freed the truck and driven off.

So Robert did what you might expect any Ford truck owner to do — he ran after it.

That may not have been the best bet though, considering he actually caught up with Rodriguez, who had gotten the Ford stuck again. When Sanderson approached, Rodriguez apparently brandished a baseball bat. Fortunately though, Rodriguez wasn’t taking any swings and simply told Sanderson another guy was driving the truck, who just ran off looking for some chains.

But when police showed up, Rodriguez told them the guy driving the truck actually paid him $30 to get the truck out of the snow, but that guy bolted.

Not surprisingly, Rodriguez’s story didn’t hold up. He was taken away and charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and accidents involving damage to unattended property (for the 2003 Honda Accord he allegedly backed into while trying to extricate the Ford in the first place).

No word yet on when the snow is expected to be officially recognized for its crime-fighting prowess.