Bah Humbug: Trailers Full of Christmas Trees Stolen

8 Dec 2015

Setting up Christmas tree lots is a Thanksgiving holiday tradition for many people. However, it’s not always a happy ending story. In two recent cases, trailers filled with Christmas trees were stolen.

Bob Brannon, member of a well-known service club called the Greenville SERTOMA Club, was just one of these cases. He has been selling Christmas trees for 61 years in Greenville for charity; however, on Friday morning he arrived at the McAlister Square lot to find his trailer had been stolen.

He says that it looked as if the Thanksgiving thief also stole lights, tree stands and tables and the overall loss will impact them at least 35 percent.

According to volunteer Mike West, to spend your Thanksgiving stealing from a charity designed for helping children in need, you have to be pretty low.

The Police Department of the Greenville Technical College is currently investigating the case.

In the second case, South Florida police are searching for the Grinch who stole a couple semi-truck trailers also loaded with Christmas trees.

Vice president of floral delivery service, Florida Beauty, Frank Ducassi, informed The Miami Herald that on Tuesday, his two company trailers were left at the Kendall Costco.

He says that each trailer held 500 trees valued at $35,000 and the two trailers were valued at around $78,000. The theft happened at approximately 11:45pm on November 24 in the parking lot of Costco located in Kendall at 13450 Southwest 120th Street. Ducassi says, they were new made in 2015.

Kendall Costco is a big retailer of Christmas trees. They sell the trees right from the trailers for $30 a tree. Only once a year does non-Costco brand equipment remain on the site overnight, according to the general manager.

Usually, when it comes to Costco equipment, the normal protocol is to enable a ‘pin lock’ as a basic safety precaution for their trailers. This pin lock makes it complicated for semi-trucks to connect and haul off a trailer.

Ducassi says that it is possible to get it off the trailer, but only if you had an acetylene torch and you would end up with lock pieces everywhere. He is almost certain they were not secured.

He thinks by contract, pin locks are mandated, however, the Costco general manager was told to lock the trailer doors only.

Having a GPS tracking device on the trailer would help to find the trailers, retrieve them, and catch the thieves. However, the trailers’ satellite tracking equipment was disconnected about 30 miles north of the store around midnight in Weston.

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About George Karonis

George Karonis is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of LiveViewGPS Inc., a company he established in 2008 with the vision of making real-time GPS tracking more reliable, affordable, and accessible for businesses of all sizes. Over the past two decades, he has built a reputation as an innovator in GPS tracking, fleet management, asset monitoring, and Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PTToC) communications. Under George's leadership, LiveViewGPS has grown into a nationally recognized provider of GPS tracking solutions, serving businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, law enforcement organizations, and public works departments throughout the United States. The company's technology helps organizations improve operational efficiency, protect valuable assets, increase driver safety, and reduce operating costs through real-time location intelligence. Before founding LiveViewGPS, George developed a background in security, surveillance, and emerging location technologies. His passion for innovation and practical problem solving has driven the development of products that combine dependable hardware with easy-to-use cloud software, giving customers actionable information when it matters most. In 2018, George expanded into nationwide Push-to-Talk over Cellular communications by launching PeakPTT, providing businesses with rugged, instant communication solutions that operate over LTE and Wi-Fi networks. His focus has remained the same throughout his career: delivering dependable technology backed by exceptional customer service and long-term customer relationships. George regularly writes about GPS tracking, fleet management, asset protection, business technology, and communication systems. Through this blog, he shares industry insights, practical advice, and emerging trends to help organizations make informed decisions about tracking technology and connected operations.