Stolen equipment

[Donald Miller]

I am posting this here since some of you do not visit the Lounge. When I returned from Europe I found that my house had been burglarized. This is a list of equipment taken. If you encounter any of these items under questionable circumstances please let me know. A reward is offered. My neighbors indicate that the general time of the theft occurred during 4-16-09 to 4-21-09. I live in Gilbert, Arizona and assume that the items will be fenced in this general area.

• Winchester Oliver Winchester commemorative 38/55 Rifle
• One box (20 rounds) 38/55 cartridges
• Remington semi-automatic 22 rifle
• Martin D35 guitar Rosewood (back and sides)
• Martin hard case for above guitar
• Martin D 12-28 twelve string guitar
• Martin hard case for above guitar
• Bronica ETRS camera body
• Bronica ETRS AE prism finder
• Bronica ETRS extension tube
• Bronica ETRS 220 film back
• Bronica ETRS 220 film back
• Bronica ETRS 120 film back
• Bronica ETRS 250 mm lens
• Bronica ETRS 150 mm lens
• Bronica ETRS 75 mm lens
• Bronica ETRS 50 mm lens
• Bronica ETRS WL finder
• Bronica ETRS speed grip
• Kenwood Stereo
• One pair of Stratus Gold stereo speakers
• One each Definity stereo sub woofer
• One each Canon 5D digital camera
• One each Canon f4 24-105 L lens
• One each Canon f 2.8 16-30 L lens
• One each Canon f 2.8 70-200 L lens
• One each Canon f1.2 85 mm L Lens
• Two each Canon 580 EXII camera flash
• One each Canon ste2 transmitter
• Camera case for Canon digital camera equipment above
• 1000 ounces Eberhard pure silver bullion
• One each Wisner 5X7 Traditional field camera
• One each Wisner 5X7-4X5 reducing back
• One each Wisner 5X7 bag bellows
• One each Schneider 305 mm G Claron lens
• One each Schneider 210 mm f5.6 Symmar lens
• One each Nikkor M 450 mm lens
• One each Nikkor 180 mm lens
• One each Schneider 90 mm Super Angulon lens
• One each Sekonic 558 ambient/spot light meter
• One each Profoto 1200 watt second monolight strobe kit.
• One each Profoto 1200 w/second moonlight strobe
• One each Boom stand
• One each 42 inch softbox
• Two each Umbrella light modifiers
• Three softsided black cases for light equipment
• One each Canon XHA1 HD video camera
• Black softsided case for video camera
• Thirteen each BW filters (one each for each of the lenses previously identified.
• One each Hakuba carbon fiber tripod
• One each BYO computer. (Dual Quad core, 12 Gigs ram, Graphics card, case, power supply—componants purchased
And assembled in 2008.
• One each Gateway 24 inch computer monitor
• One each wireless router.
• Software installed on computer includes
• Microsoft Windows Ultimate 64 bit
• Microsoft Office 2007
• Photoshop CS4 Production Premium Suite
• Photodex ProShow Producer
• Topaz Enhance
• Bluff Titler
• Autopano Pro
• Red Giant Particular

Moderators if this is not posted to the proper thread, please move it to the appropriate thread.

Donald Miller

[bob carnie]

Donald
I am very sorry to see this, I hope that you have success locating your equipment.

Bob

[Preston]

Donald,

I'm sorry to hear this. It's just sickening. I wish you success in recovering your property.

-Preston

[Marko]

Oh, man! This is quite a list of very nice items, I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope your insurance comes through. I know it cannot replace all the effort that obviously went into assembling all of that, but at least it should help you with replacement.

And just as an aside, if the theft happened as long ago as April, most if not all of it very likely has already been fenced. Heck, the characters may have even been caught since then on some other "job" like that for all we know. They usually don't last long.

[Ted Stoddard]

Seems to me they new exacty what to go after and had plenty of time to get it all, sorry for your loss I know how you feel my car was stolen last week out of my driveway... It might of been someone close or someone near by... Can't trust everyone...

Don't forget o check Craigslist as well in your area you never know it might be a dumb criminal who is trying to sell it there...

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Donald, this makes me sick. I hope the people who did this are caught and put away for a long time. There is some fantastic equipment there and I am so sorry for you. Someone had to be watching your house. On top of all of the photography gear to loose not one but two Martin's is too much. I know if anyone ever stole my '68 D-28 I'd have to really thing hard about not offing them, I mean really to steal someone's axes is over the line. Man this pisses me off.

Jim

[Ben Hopson]

Donald, I hope the lowlife(s) who did this will be caught, punished and your gear returned. This kind of invasion makes a person afraid to ever leave home.

Ben

[jeroldharter]

Wow, you really got cleaned out. Would need a big vehicle to tote that stuff. I was robbed once and appreciate the frustration. I hope you had insurance.

As an aside, perhaps a link or a sticky thread about the ins and outs of insuring equipment for pros and amateurs would be good.

[John Voss]

I'm so sorry about this, Donald. It's an awful feeling. I used to think that a well known photographer friend of mine was overdoing it with a locked steel door to his darkroom, and all his gear in gun safe-like locked vaults, but now I can see his point. Hope you get it all back, and the perps get to be long time friends of Bernie Madoff!

[Capocheny]

Hi Don,

I'm glad nobody was home at the time of the break-in and that, as a result, nobody was hurt!

Good luck on the speedy recovery of your gear.

Cheers

[PViapiano]

So sorry to hear this Donald...there has been a rash of break-ins in my neighborhood recently and unfortunately it's a sign of our economic times that these are increasing.

[Charles Hohenstein]

I'm very sorry to hear about this and can only hope that the perpetrator is caught and the stolen items eventually recovered.

[Brian Ellis]

I certainly sympathize. I have nothing to suggest for the stolen equipment but for the future - it's not unusual for people who steal this kind of stuff to wait about five or six months - just long enough for their victims to collect the insurance money and replace the stolen gear - then come back and steal the replacement stuff. I had one friend who was robbed of valuable audio gear three different times in the space of a year or so. Obviously the thieves had him on a list and as soon as they figured he had replaced what they stole the first time they broke in and stole the replacements - twice. I'm probably not giving you any advice you haven't already thought of but try to secure the replacement camera, musical instruments, etc. in as safe a way as possible because there's a good chance they'll hit you again.

[Jan Pedersen]

Sorry about your huge loss Donald. This is a rather large collection and would be almost impossible to replace.
I hope you do have serial numbers on most items which can help locate some of the stuff when it hits the market somehow.

[Turner Reich]

Words can't express how I feel about this, My god what's a guy to do build a bomb shelter to keep your property safe? It's beyond belief, I hope they can be tracked down and dealt with.

[Frank Petronio]

Sorry Donald, hope it gets resolved as well as possible and the crooks get caught and convicted.

[Wade D]

Very sorry to hear of your monumental losses. I hope the police can track them down and recover your stolen items. Keep checking ebay and craig's list. I was able to recover a stolen enlarger that way. Best of luck to you.

[Diane Maher]

Yikes! I hope that you are able to recover from this.

[Kirk Gittings]

I'm really sorry to hear this Donald. Let us know what else we can do to help.

[Turner Reich]

As an aside, perhaps a link or a sticky thread about the ins and outs of insuring equipment for pros and amateurs would be good.

And include safe home storage of equipment, it may be the trip to the store or a trip out of the country, it can happen anytime. I like the steel door but talking to a fire fighter I learned that the door is just a go around obstacle. He told me that well prepared burglars use a gas hand held saw and go in from the outside buy cutting a hole in the house. A safe room with re-bar and cement would be the only way to slow them down, along with an alarm. Think of a roof, some are only 1/2" plywood with a course of shingles, easy to cut a hole, drop down and open from the inside out. Windows are another weak point as are doors with poor locks. I figure they will get in and that's why a safe that can't be carried out or broken into might be the best solution, as long as you use it.

[William McEwen]

So sorry, Donald. All of us hope you'll post again with the news that all has been recovered in excellent condition.

[Eric Rose]

Bastards!! I hope you get to them before the cops do. I feel for you.

[B.S.Kumar]

Donald,

I'm sorry to hear of your loss. Here's a link that will help search all of Craigslist easily:
http://www.searchallcraigs.com/

Kumar

[Scott Davis]

Wow that really sucks. As a fellow burglary victim, I know the pain you're going through. I think even more than the loss of the items, the biggest loss is the feeling of the safety and sanctity of your home. I can remember very clearly the biggest impulse I had in the months following the burglary was to sell the house and move to somewhere, anywhere that might be "safer". Which of course is a flawed notion. In my case, I'm pretty sure it was an inside job- someone I had allowed into my house set it up. I'd do a careful inventory of the people you know who might have known what you keep in the house, and who knew you were away. They are the most probable suspects. Pass along that list to the police, and let them do the investigating.

[Allen in Montreal]

Donald,

That is awful, having been robbed once many years ago, I know how horrible it is.
Brian brings up a very good point, they may very well come back, it happens often here in Montreal that they revisit after the insurance has settled.

A buddy just got robbed last weekend on a re-visit. He found the complete list, line for line, of items stolen the first time around on Craig's list and called the cops, they told him to go scout it and get an address and at least one serial number from the thief's pile to match or they would do nothing. Cops today think theft of this sort (where there is no assault etc) is an Insurance Company problem, not a crime problem they need to waste time with.

A safe or strong box of some type would be a very good investment.

Best regards,
Allen

[jp]

Craigslist is probably a good thing to check.

I would suggest checking with the local pawn shops, music/gun/computer shops that consign the sort of things on your list, etc... Of course, keep an eye on Ebay.

I would also suggest checking with local law enforcement in the event they have aprehended someone with your stuff and they have it sitting around. If they do show up there and nobody claims them, the gear might get sold or assimilated after the case is wrapped up.

[Turner Reich]

Those swap meets, most have stolen goods and crooked sellers, word of mouth is probably the the way camera equipment is hocked off.

[Michael Gordon]

OUCH. Good luck with recovery, Donald. This sucks bigtime.

How come the rifle gets top listing over the Martin's and cameras? :p