We were getting ready to leave on a 3 day 3 state tour. Got over to unload our trailer from the night before and opened up our 1991 Blue Bird to get it ready.Turned the key and nothing. Not unusual for us, so we checked the key, checked the Neutral switch and still nothing. Go to get the jumper cables and opened the battery box.... All 3 batteries were stolen. GONE!!! :o Cables and everything. In the back of the building we rent in is a recycling plant. By the way, my guitarist owns the building we rent. We walked over to the plant and asked about the batteries. After a little discription and talking, it turned out the thief had turned in our batteries earlier in the morning to the recycle plant in our own building!! The good news was that the recycle plant requires a drivers license and name to get cash. They had it all!! We called the police and filed a report. Replaced our batteries, put a lock on the door and went on our way...
After we talked with the police, the guy who stole our batteries was on paper parole and will head back to jail for 2 years for this. By the way, he got $12 for the 3 batteries!
Sounds like a real criminal mastermind. I've had stuff stolen over the years but never such a happy ending as yours.
(on edit) I just remembered once when I did have a happy ending. Jimmy Funk stole a toolbox out of the back of my pickup and I didn't even know it was gone until the cops phoned me to tell me they had recovered it. His story was that I had lent it to him - they were phoning to confirm that I hadn't. Like they say in the paper "he was well known to local law enforcement officials."
I had a bike stolen once which I found for sale in a shop a few days later. I reported it to the Police, who took me around to the shop to officially identify the bike and reclaim it. The proprietor of the shop seemed very relaxed (regular occurrence no doubt), and gave the Police the (genuine) details of the guy who sold them the bike, who was then arrested later that day. No idea what happened to him though - probably just received a caution and went straight out to steal more bikes.
Jeremy