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Texas Car Wash Owner earns $1000 reward for Assisting Police in Catching Thief
ELKRDIGE, MARYLAND - If it weren?t for surveillance cameras, a car wash owner in Andrews, Texas would be out thousands of dollars. Clear images from his digital video recorders helped local police identify a robbery suspect and earned owner Mark Theisen a $1000 reward from the company who built the vandalized equipment, Unitec Electronics.
A determined 30-year old Dennis Trujillo visited the Splash ?n Dash car wash in the early hours of February 23, 2008 not to clean and vacuum his vehicle, but to steal as much cash as possible from the unattended car wash. Hacking away for more than fifteen minutes with a claw hammer and tire tool, Trujillo managed to grab about $200 from the car wash payment system. Despite his prolonged efforts, he was still unable to get all the cash from the machine and eventually fled the scene worried that he would be spotted by motorists passing the car wash.
Trujillo?s actions were caught on several digital video recorders, and a camera inside the car wash payment system. When confronted with a clear picture of his own face and tattoos, Trujillo confessed to police who found him the next day in the same vehicle caught on tape.
Theisen credits these pictures with the eventual arrest of Trujillo. ?That little $500 camera paid for itself many times over,? he says of this experience, ?I wouldn?t own anything without a security system anymore.? Theisen?s assistance in nabbing the suspect earned him a $1000 reward from Unitec Electronics, the manufacturer of the car wash payment system with a built-in security camera.
Due to the severity of the damage at the car wash, Trujillo was convicted of criminal mischief and has been sentenced to two years in jail, community service, fines and repayment of over $20,000 in restitution and court costs.
ELKRDIGE, MARYLAND - If it weren?t for surveillance cameras, a car wash owner in Andrews, Texas would be out thousands of dollars. Clear images from his digital video recorders helped local police identify a robbery suspect and earned owner Mark Theisen a $1000 reward from the company who built the vandalized equipment, Unitec Electronics.
A determined 30-year old Dennis Trujillo visited the Splash ?n Dash car wash in the early hours of February 23, 2008 not to clean and vacuum his vehicle, but to steal as much cash as possible from the unattended car wash. Hacking away for more than fifteen minutes with a claw hammer and tire tool, Trujillo managed to grab about $200 from the car wash payment system. Despite his prolonged efforts, he was still unable to get all the cash from the machine and eventually fled the scene worried that he would be spotted by motorists passing the car wash.
Trujillo?s actions were caught on several digital video recorders, and a camera inside the car wash payment system. When confronted with a clear picture of his own face and tattoos, Trujillo confessed to police who found him the next day in the same vehicle caught on tape.
Theisen credits these pictures with the eventual arrest of Trujillo. ?That little $500 camera paid for itself many times over,? he says of this experience, ?I wouldn?t own anything without a security system anymore.? Theisen?s assistance in nabbing the suspect earned him a $1000 reward from Unitec Electronics, the manufacturer of the car wash payment system with a built-in security camera.
Due to the severity of the damage at the car wash, Trujillo was convicted of criminal mischief and has been sentenced to two years in jail, community service, fines and repayment of over $20,000 in restitution and court costs.
