A fellow Jamulian wrote me last night with some interesting information. It seems that there has been a rash of thefts of two sorts in the area…
One sort is thefts of metal scrap (primarily copper, I think). In the recent case of Bob Orlosky and the murder of Charles Crow, one of the possibilities raised is that Charles Crow and the other two people in their vehicle were raiding Bob Orlosky’s scrap yard — or that Bob believed they were doing so, accurately or not. Several of my readers commented that there had been other thefts of scrap, including just a few days before the murder on Bob Orlosky’s property.
Now I’ve learned that Robby Ivy (a long-time resident of Lawson Valley, and the fellow who provided the land for the Lawson Valley fire station) was robbed of some scrap metal (copper wire) just this week. Sheriff’s Deputy Brown handled the case, and told Robby that such thefts have been occurring recently all over the Jamul area.
The other sort is thefts of oak wood (for firewood). This happens every winter as the demand for firewood increases; the prices of $200 or more for a cord of wood attracts a certain low class of people with a chain saw and a truck — apparently whether or not they have any rights to the wood. Recently the gate at the base of Hilary Road (a road on private land in Lawson Valley) was torn up so that a truck could get through. The oak thieves didn’t even take the down, dead wood — instead, they cut down some of our beautiful (and threatened) live oaks. These scum make my blood boil…and bring to mind a refrain from a fellow blogger, appropriately modified:
Oak tree. Rope. Oak thief.
Some assembly required.
The floor is open (in the comments) for good ideas about how to address this plague. Meanwhile, I’m cleaning and maintaining my weapons, making certain I have plenty of ammunition on hand, and thinking about how to turn our field spaniels into vicious thief-biters!
In the old blog, Anonymous said:
ReplyDeleteJust make sure that when you shoot the “theives” they are in fact theives. Let’s not pull another Orlosky.And by the way, if these thefts are still occuring, it just provides more proof to what we were telling you all from the start: Chuck was not involved with any of these theiving low-lifes. Chuck was a hard worker, and EARNED his money the honest way. He was better than that and would have been greatly insulted to hear that his GOOD name was in any way associated with such scum. The unfortunate irony seems however, that he lost his life because of these creeps actions. Oh, and Orlosky’s out right now, maybe all you neighbors should hire him to patrol the grounds since he’s so good at playing Ranger. Just a suggestion.
In the old blog, Anonymous said:
ReplyDeleteI had heard he was out too…his next court date is Jan 24…since he has so many connections out of state and Canada…I wonder if he will show up or skip…it wouldn’t suprise me if he takes off.
In the old blog, CAPS LOCK said:
ReplyDeleteaddress this plague by going to costco or fryes and buying some video cameras remote or otherwise and put the guns away unless you want to be in orloskys position. I thought there was no crime in lawson valley seems like a contradiction from an earlier post.
In the old blog, Anonymous said:
ReplyDeleteThe theft of oak from Lawson Valley has been going on for years. This is not a recent event. I have repeatedly called the sheriff whenever I hear chain saws. There are a couple problems with that. The first is the length of time that it takes the sheriff to get there. The second is that the thieves are limited in how much they can remove each time. Being caught with one truckload would likely result in a misdemeanor. Meanwhile we are losing beautiful old oak groves from the valley. They cut down the biggest and best trees - taking only the logs and leaving the rest in a big mess. It’s tragic.With regard to the virtues of the young men that trespassed on the Orlosky property that tragic night, according to the defense attorney they all had criminal records.
In the old blog, Anonymous said:
ReplyDeleteA neighbor of mine supports the last comment. She say’s her brother used to hang with the young men involved, that they were heavily into drugs, and that they used to hit Orlowsky’s regularily. It’s no justification for killing a human being, but it may shed some light.By the way, the roadside shrine....I know it’s customary, but it seems his mourners would do better finding means to support his surviving child.
In the old blog, Anonymous said:
ReplyDelete“....I know it’s customary, but it seems his mourners would do better finding means to support his surviving child.” It’s funny you would make such a comment in refernce to Chuck’s memorial, when just recently it was desecrated. Items were stolen, and everything spray painted black. Perhaps you know somethng about this?? As for “finding means to support his surviving child,” what, may I ask do you mean by that? I know this may come as a shock to you, but before or after work, and school, and family, we ACTUALLY make the time to stop by the spot where our friend and brother took his last breath. We will forever honor him and the happiness he brought to our lives. I recognize that you never developed that “compassionate gene,” and though I’m sorry about it, I would suggest that you perhaps digest the “he-said, she-said” gossip you so faithfully rely on, before you regurgitate it. Further addressing your suggestion to “find means to support” the baby, within the first days after Chuck’s death, his many, many friends raised more than enough to help Rose and the baby, and still continue to do so. I can only hope that you never have to go through what we have, and that if it was you who met an unfortunate fate like Chuck, your family and friends would be spared reading ignorant blog replies like the one you previously posted.Peace. (How about trying to be kind).