VANCOUVER, Wash. – A Vancouver man was arrested after police found more than 150 stolen plants at his home. Investigators believe the plants were stolen from a nearby Fred Meyer store.
Employees at the Fred Meyer on Mill Plain Boulevard in Vancouver started noticing hanging baskets and other items were missing. The Fred Meyer loss prevention staff began an investigation and contacted Vancouver Police.
Detectives identified Thomas M. Aldin, 41, as a suspect and when they searched his home officers found $6,000 worth of stolen plants and other items. Aldin was arrested and booked into the Clark County Jail for possession of stolen property, theft with intent to resell, trafficking stolen property, and possession of a controlled substance. Detectives said they found methamphetamine in the home along with 157 stolen plants, a garden cart, and a display rack.
Customers who shop at the Fred Meyer said they were not as much surprised by the theft as they were by the amount.
“That is pretty wild to even take that many plants,” said shopper Chris Nielsen.
“I buy plants here quite often and I've always wondered, since they leave them out, that it doesn't happen more often,” said Trina Rudy, another Fred Meyer customer. “Anybody could pull up and grab whatever, so I'm not surprised.”
Vancouver police said the man had been selling the plants to people online through Craigslist for several weeks.
“Even while we were executing our search warrant, we had people coming up to detectives asking to buy plants, so this had been an ongoing, well known location for selling plants," explained Kim Kapp with the Vancouver Police Department.
A few of the people detectives encountered were repeat customers, which brings up the question: “How do you know if the item you are buying is legitimate?” That question, keeps some from even trying.
“I stay away from Craigslist as much as I can just for that reason, just because you never know what you're going to get into,” Nielsen explained. “Something could be stolen or you could put yourself in some danger.”
Here are some red flags to look for when buying online:
- Price. Police said price is the biggest indicator. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is.
- Markings. Police said you should check the item for tags or other markings like someone’s name that does not match the seller. Officers said this is a common problem with tools stolen from construction sites.
- Location. If the person is unwilling to meet you somewhere public, like the parking lot of a police station, officers said to think twice before going.
As for whether Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or OfferUp is better, officers said they see stolen items on all three. However, in the past, Vancouver Police saw a string of problems with people doing business through OfferUp.
“We tend to see more robberies related to OfferUp-type of thefts where people are one on one going to buy or sell a piece of property,” Kapp explained.
Officers said they tend to see more issues when people are trying to buy or sell smaller items, like cellphones, or in cases where people meet up one on one.
Police also said many transactions are done without any issues if you use a little common sense.