LAS VEGAS (CLASS)— The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reported about 10,000 vehicle thefts in its jurisdiction this year. But what happens when that vehicle is actually a business?
That’s the reality one east valley business owner faced just days before the Christmas holiday.
Berry Cotner recently started JB Service six months ago, a mobile auto mechanic business serving several commercial businesses throughout the valley. He said without his truck, “I don’t have a job.”
When he opened his front door Thursday morning, his truck and the estimated $20,000 worth of tools and equipment inside were missing.
“I called my wife and I said, please tell me you’re kidding me,” Cotner said outside his home Friday morning, recounting the chaotic morning he realized his cellphone business was missing.
The truck was parked in the same position in front of his house every day, he said, with a doorbell camera pointed in his direction. But when he saw the footage from the night of the alleged theft, the theft itself was not caught.
Instead, it was seen parked at 4:20 a.m., then left at 4:30 a.m. He said his doorbell camera was not designed to detect movement beyond thirty feet of where the car was parked.
“There’s no pieces of plastic or anything where they would have broken the door,” Cotner said as he surveyed the empty parking lot. “So whoever did it, they knew what they were doing.”
Even the mobile business has sentimental value. The truck was inherited from his father who did the same job for 25 years, he said. Cotner outfitted it with shelving and space for his gear when he took over ownership.
Now, the sole small business owner fears if he will ever be found, and if not, how he will support his family financially.
“I’m a one-man show,” Cotner said. “I have no reservations. I’m alone taking care of my family and without my truck, I can’t make money. I can’t pay my bills.”
“That’s why I was really hoping I’d hear back yesterday or today, because I think the further into the holidays it goes, the less I think [there’s] chances are someone will ask.”
When asked what he would say to the culprit or culprits responsible, he said: “Just dump it somewhere, give it back. Whatever you’ve already stolen, I’ll forgive it. I just need my truck to pay my bills.”
Those who see the truck can call Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, or can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stopper at (702) 385-5555.
