Police in Howard County, Maryland, have recovered more than 15,000 stolen pieces of construction equipment valued at between $3 million and $5 million in what officials said is “one of the largest and most expansive theft cases in the region in recent years.”
“The scope of this investigation is enormous and it’s ongoing,” Howard County police Chief Gregory Der said at a news conference. “It is a huge undertaking.”
“We have identified more than 80 victims to date, mostly from Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, and believe there are hundreds, if not thousands, more,” Der said.
The investigation began in January, when one of those victims, from Virginia, had equipment stolen that had a tracking device inside. That led police to a storage unit in Elkridge, and eventually officers conducted search warrants on 12 total locations, 11 of which were in Howard County, according to Der.
According to police, the tools were stolen from retail stores, businesses, vehicles, residential properties and construction sites and were kept in storage units.
Police said they’ve set up a website where victims can fill out a form to recover their stolen tools. A detective will reach out to everyone who submits an online entry.
“We’ve heard from victims who have lost work because of their tools. It goes way beyond the cost of replacing these tools,” Der said.
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