Forklifts disrupt copper theft

News Story
- 9 Oct 2014 ( #688 ) - Houston, TX, United States
2 min read
Giovanni Gomez
Giovanni Gomez
In orchestrated moves, six Morrison Supply Co employees used Hyster forklifts to stop a vehicle from leaving a store without paying for a load of copper.

On 22 September, a suspect ordered copper worth about USD3,000. Morrison Supply's management was on alert and monitoring transactions in the wake of organised copper thefts in the market.

The suspect arrived in a truck to pick up the order on 23 September at the 10,000 sqft. (929 sqm) store near the William P Hobby Airport in south-east Houston.

Acting as if they were preparing to load the copper, the forklift operators positioned their propane-powered equipment to block the truck within the materials yard. Darrell Jarvis, assistant manager at Morrison Supply's branch 5 store, says they never intended to complete placing the load in the truck..

The forklifts effectively kept the truck idle. The suspect tried to extricate himself, but Houston police department patrol officers arrived, made an arrest and turned the case over to investigators for the department's metal theft unit.

The Harris County district attorney's office charged Giovanni Gomez, 20, with theft of metal materials and linked him to several outstanding criminal warrants within its jurisdiction. As of 7 October, Gomez was being held in the county jail and had not made the bond of USD5,000 necessary for his release.

Authorities believe Gomez was ordering materials from plumbing supply houses under the names of companies for which he no longer worked. Gomez had worked for Shepard Forest Plumbing Inc, in Houston, until 25 July.

Morrison Supply operates numerous branches in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Louisiana. Jarvis says the branch 5 store has 17 employees.

The Houston police department formed a metal theft unit in 2007, and the city updated its scrap yard regulations in 2008. The Harris County sheriff's burglary and theft division created a metal theft unit in mid-2011 and handled about 700 theft reports in the first six months.
2013 – A cautious year
2013 – A cautious year 3 Jan 2013 - 9 min read
DEALERS PUT MATRIX TO THE TEST
DEALERS PUT MATRIX TO THE TEST 13 Jun 2002 - THE DOCKLANDS, United Kingdom - 1 min read
NACCO Q1 2002: WHOLESALE RESULTS UP, BUT RETAIL SLUMPS
NACCO Q1 2002: WHOLESALE RESULTS UP, BUT RETAIL SLUMPS 2 May 2002 - MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, United States - 1 min read
Do you have materials handling news? Submit your news here

PREMIUM business

Combilift Ltd
Manufactures world class 4-way Handling Solutions

Whether you have low or high volumes of container movements, we have a container handling solution that will suit your business. With high quality, superior design, and a range of safety features, our light-weight straddle carriers are used across a variety of industries including logistics and transport, glass, steel, food, customs and border protection, and import and export.

Mobicon Systems
Tel: +61 0) 7 3448 0010 or 1300 66 1976 (within Australia)
www.mobiconsystems.com

Words of support …

Thanks to advertising with Forkliftaction, we have received inquiries and more and more people are aware of Ningbo Ruyi Joint Stock Co.,Ltd, which fits with our company's goal to go global and let the world know more about the benefits of our Xilin brand.

Michille Shi, Vice General Manager Sales - Ningbo Ruyi Joint Stock Co.,Ltd

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Whether you have low or high volumes of container movements, we have a container handling solution that will suit your business. With high quality, superior design, and a range of safety features, our light-weight straddle carriers are used across a variety of industries including logistics and transport, glass, steel, food, customs and border protection, and import and export.

Mobicon Systems
Tel: +61 0) 7 3448 0010 or 1300 66 1976 (within Australia)
www.mobiconsystems.com

PREMIUM business

VETTER Industrie GmbH
The world's most comprehensive range of forks and the most intelligent sensor fork for more safety and efficiency.

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Your Focus

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

As the material handling industry moves toward electrification, Volvo Penta’s electromobility platform offers purpose-built electric drivelines and energy storage subsystems tailored to the practical needs of industrial applications. Developed by the Volvo Group, this platform builds on proven technology already in use across heavy-duty applications such as trucks and construction equipment.

Visit us at TOC Europe - Booth C24.