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Cathedral School lawnmower stolen
Published Wednesday, October 1, 2008
NATCHEZ — When maintenance crews at Cathedral School went to cut the grass Monday, something was missing — a $10,000 lawnmower.
The lawnmower, a 4-year-old, zero turn radius Kubota was missing, as was the lock on the storage building.
“It looks like they tried to cut the chain and couldn’t do that so they just took the lock,” Cathedral Principal Pat Sanguinetti said.
From tire tracks at the scene, Sanguinetti also suspects the burglars loaded the lawnmower onto a trailer.
The burglary occurred sometime over the weekend, but Sanguinetti had no idea when. It may have even been in the middle of the day, he said.
The Kiwanis Club was cooking out for the Cathedral’s Key Club at the school on Saturday. Sanguinetti plans on asking them if they saw anything, but he doubts they did.
“If you were sitting here and saw a trailer with a Kubota on the back, would you think anything of it?” he asked. “He could have driven it down the center drive and nobody would have thought anything of it. But I don’t think anybody would have the audacity to do that.”
Cathedral also had an air-conditioning unit, a weed trimmer and a chainsaw stolen over the summer, but Sanguinetti doubts that the thieves were planning to do yard work.
“He’s not getting it to cut grass,” he said. “He already had it sold before he took it. And what do you reckon they got for it, $300?”
Sanguinetti has suspects in mind, which he told the police, but he does not expect the mower to be recovered.
“You’re not going to find it again,” he said. “It could be long out of the city by now.”
If the burglar is caught and charged with burglary of a storehouse, he could receive up seven years in jail, assistant district attorney Walt Brown said.
“What’s crazy is if it’s sitting in your back yard, without any breaking and entering, it’s grand larceny and the charge carries up to 10 years,” Brown said. “So they may charge him with that but they can’t charge him with both. That would probably be double dipping.”
And this was not the first time expensive lawn care equipment has gone missing from area schools.
In June, the Natchez-Adams School District had a Feris zero turn radius mower, valued at $8,800, an Exmark zero turn radius mower, valued at $6,600, a trailer valued at $2,500, a blower and weed trimmer, valued at $400 each and the truck that pulled it all, a 2001 Ford F-250, valued at $18,800 stolen from the school bus barn on Lynda Lee Drive. They also had a similar Exmark mower and trailer stolen earlier during the summer.
Police are investigating the burglary and Crimestoppers is offering a cash reward. Anyone with information should call 601-442-5000.
Comments
Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 1:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"“If you were sitting here and saw a trailer with a Kubota on the back, would you think anything of it?” he asked. “He could have driven it down the center drive and nobody would have thought anything of it. But I don’t think anybody would have the audacity to do that.”
Sadly, even in broad daylight, never under estimate the brazeness of a thief!
Posted by arcticarrow (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 5:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Is "has gone missing" some nonsensical phrase for "has been stolen?" How does anything "go missing?"
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on October 1, 2008 at 6:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe, Kubota eloped with John Deere??
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 8:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds like an inside job here folks. They had to know when the mower shed was not being used and when it was not being watched....Same holds true for the Natchez Mowers. I bet they will be found around Baton Rouge or up in Jackson . It is very slim chance they will be using them in Natchez.
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 10:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Bet the school thefts will be taken care of now. Shame it had to happen to Catholic in order to get it done tho'.
Posted by Hardcorps (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 10:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I was a student at Delta State and having a coke just off campus at the "Varsity". I was playing a pinball machine by the checkout counter and chatting with the owner. It was lunch time and the place was crowded.
A young guy came in with a clipboard, turned the cigarette machine around a little, and wrote something like maybe the serial number. He then went back out and backed his pickup truck to the front door. The truck had a "Tommy Lift". He got a hand truck (dolly) and put the cigarette machine on it. He then put it on the lift and loaded it on his truck and drove away.
The whole time, I and the owner of the place watched him. The owner had been busy waiting on people but he looked at me and said, "Hippie, that man just stole my cigarette machine."
I said, "Yep, pretty slick dude huh?"
Posted by meluvcookies (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The owner had been busy waiting on people, yet sooo busy to try and stop the man from stealing his cigarette machine????? That's absolutely STUPID! Then, on the other hand, that was quite a few less cigarettes for the folks at Delta State at the time and that's great, since I don't smoke. :)
Posted by supermom (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 10:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Destiny.......Just wondering exactly what you meant by your comment?
I'm sure the police are looking into all of the thefts. At least I would hope they are.
Posted by obamayamama (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 10:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Didn't this just happen to another school recently? Maybe they should try installing some cameras. Web cameras (some are available with the time-lapsing option to save footage use) are really cheap now, ~$50, and very small. They attach to the computer or to a tv.
As the economy shifts downward, more and more robberies will probably occur. Be prepared for it.
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 1:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
supermom. I meant that the Catholic School system will demand retribution and keep this problem in the public's eye. Most people just shake their head about it and accept it as another everyday happening. The Catholic School will not. They watch over their own and protect what is theirs while the general public just looks the other way.
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 2:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
a "bad" economy is no excuse for theft
just watch your stuff and shoot the no good scumbag thieves
I don't think the economy - or high fuel prices- is driving crime, crime has been on the rise for a long time due to lenient sentences and quick profit on the street
I've been noticing that the dogs in my neighborhood been barking a lot late at night, early morning, and I've been getting up and looking around, I haven't caught any prowlers yet, everyone just needs to be vigilant, and go hard on the thieves when you have the opportunity.
Wall St has it's thieves too, that's the only problem we have, not enough punishment for thieves and greed.
There are plenty of jobs, just too many folks too good to work, they would rather steal or deal in illegal drugs or sex.
Posted by lookingout (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 2:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
look at the area that cathedral is in i am surprised it hasnt happened before now
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 4:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Preach it Krogers!!..
Posted by sayitloud (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 4:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
HAHA! Good points Krogers!
Posted by johnwentworth (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 4:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I personally don't believe that it was someone in the community surrounding the school. The people who live around the school show respect to the students, faculty, and grounds of the school. I also don't see a member of the Cathedral family being participating in an "inside job."
Posted by presby (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 11:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It,s gonna be all day every day soon....more and more..put a few caps into them and they will quit. Nothing else will change anything
Posted by presby (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 11:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
right behind the left ear and leave um layin
Posted by presby (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 11:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Criminals laugh at all of us. We try to figure them out or rationalize their thoughts. Like Alfred Cauthren said once. Hell their just like the son of Sam. They are mean and just don,t give a damn about you,me,their family,freinds,not even themselves. They only take,never give.like a mountain tick,just suck and suck and never give back. The only way to get rid of them is to crush them
Posted by presby (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 11:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Soon as homeowners start losing all their property they will get tired ,,,very quickly
Posted by presby (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 11:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Keep taking care of them and being nice. They will take over one day.
Posted by kpage1 (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ditto, presby, at that last remark. Just ditto.
Posted by getalifenatchez (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 5:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sorry Cathedral for your loss... Sad to say, even a good lock is not a deterrent this day and time. The camera suggestion is worth exploring or having on campus security. I don't care what part of town this occurred in,
no section of this city is ammuned to crime... It can happen anywhere, anytime.... There are a lot of low lifes that don't care who they are taking from.... It's a shame how our society has evolved for the worse......
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