Vince Pitelka on tue 15 nov 05
I wrote:
> except for that one that completely stopped
> functioning. After careful diagnosis and examination we came to the
> conclusion that someone had stolen the motor, drive pulley, belt, foot
> pedal, and electronic control unit. Fortunately we recently apprehended
> the
> thief and all the parts have been returned.
Shula wrote to me:
> Yep, I can see that that would be a problem! ;-) What in the world did the
> thief plan to do with the stolen parts, hold them for ransome?
Shula -
I decided to send my reply to the list, because it's a good story with a
happy ending (but not for the thief) and I know that some people will get a
kick out of it. This is kind of long, but hey, I had surgery at Vanderbilt
University Hospital first thing this morning for an infection in THE LEG,
and it went so well that I am already back home, so I've got plenty of time.
For the past ten years or so, we have been periodically plagued by small
thefts at the Appalachian Center for Craft clay studio, and it always just
upset me so much. I just couldn't believe that one of the people who
regularly comes around the Craft Center would steal from us. We have
suspected that the thief was a certain person we will call Leonard Neeman
(that's a suitable variation on his real name), who has taken classes at the
Craft Center in the past, and periodically takes workshops up here. One of
my former artists-in-residence went to visit him about ten years ago, and
saw a bunch of our studio bats in his private studio and questioned him
about them. Leonard claimed that the former instructor had given them to
him. We had no proof to the contrary. On another occasion, my current
artist-in-residence saw Leonard heading for his car with several of our
studio bats and could not get over there in time to stop him. For just a
few studio bats, we were not willing to call in the cops.
But every time Leonard came around, something disappeared - a clay scale,
the dies and die holder for a brand new Scott Creek extruder, on a different
occasion the expansion box and accessories for the Scott Creek extruder.
Leonard was around when every one of these items disappeared. Then last
spring we came in one day, and one of the CI Big Boss wheels had been
stripped - all that was left was the frame, the wheelhead, and the main
shaft and flange bearing. We bought a new wheel and kept the stripped Big
Boss around to use as a giant banding wheel.
Then about a month ago, Leonard came around twice. The first time, an
analog pyrometer vanished. The second time, he clipped the foot pedal off
an Axner wheel. No one saw him take them, but we knew it was him. Now I
was really pissed. I had a talk with our Intirim Director Kathie McGlamery,
and she agreed that it was time to talk to the cops. First, she talked to
the TTU campus cops, and they said that we should get a restraining order
issued against Leonard. That wouldn't get back the stolen items, but at
least it would ensure that he stayed away from the place. We went to the
Dekalb County Court Clerk's office, and they were not at all helpful. They
said that we needed to hire a lawyer and go through a great deal of trouble
to get a restraining order issued. I suppose they need to do that to
prevent people from having restraining orders issued in inappropriate
circumstances.
Kathie went over to the DeKalb County Sheriff's office, and was fortunately
directed to a man I'll call Officer Smith. As she explained the situation,
Officer Smith got more and more disturbed, and kept saying things like "Why,
that son of a gun!" "What an awful thing to do to a state school." "You
guys work so hard with what money you have, and then this yahoo comes along
and slaps you in the face by stealing your tools!" By the time Kathie
finished, Officer Smith was really hot. But as he got angry, he got very
quiet. In a very calm tone of voice, he asked Kathie if she had Leonard's
contact information, and she pulled out the whole file of TTU police reports
about all the thefts, the email messages between her and the TTU police, and
the contact information for Leonard from the workshop mailing list.
Officer Smith took the information, picked up the phone, and called Leonard.
When he got him on the phone, he said "Hello, is this Mr. Leonard Neeman?
Mr. Neeman, this is Officer Smith with the DeKalb County Sheriffs
Department, and I understand you have been stealing things from the Clay
Studio at the Appalachian Center for Craft for the last ten years."
Apparently there was a long silence on the other end of the line, and
Officer Smith looked at Kathie and nodded his head in a way that said "Yep,
he's guilty." Kathie said that as Officer Smith was talking to Leonard on
the phone, his voice was low and level, filled with barely-veiled danger and
threat. She later said to me "If he had been talking to me, I'd have done
whatever he said!"
After a moment of silence, Officer Smith said to Leonard "Mr. Neeman,
Tomorrow is Friday, October 28. I do not care what plans or obligations you
have for the day. You are to be here at the DeKalb County Jail at exactly
twelve o'clock noon, no earlier, no later, and you are to bring everything
that you have stolen from the Appalachian Center for Craft. If you bring
everything and are here on time, I might not through you in jail. If you
are late or if you do not bring everything you have stolen, I will throw you
in jail. If you do not show up, I will contact your local county sheriffs
department and have them issue search and arrest warrants and you will go to
court and serve jail time.
Leonard promised to be there. To our surpise, later on he called the Craft
Center and talked to one of our security people named Jim, and admitted to
having the stolen items. So, the following day, Jim met Officer Smith at
the jail and was there when Leonard arrived. Leonard was suitable scared
stiff, and had a cardboard box of items including everything except the
Scott Creek extruder parts. Jim questioned Leonard about the missing parts,
but he denied having taken them, swore on his mother's good name (hell she
was probably a thief too) that he didn't have them. Officer Smith was
getting quiet again, and Leonard looked like he was about to soil his
shorts. Officer Smith asked Jim if we wanted to press charges, and Jim said
that we didn't. That did not altogether appease Officer Smith. He turned
to Leonard, and said "Mr. Neeman, I would strongly suggest that you make a
generous donation to the Appalachian Center for Craft." Leonard said "I'd be
happy to do that, but I didn't bring my checkbook." Officer Smith replied
"Well I'll bet you've got an ATM card in your wallet don't you?" Of course
Leonard had no choice but to admit that he did. Officer Smith said "Now
right across the street is an ATM machine, and I want you to go over there
right now and take out a good chunk of cash for Jim to take back to the
Craft Center. So, Leonard went across the street and came back with $500 in
twenties and gave them to Jim.
Officer Smith turned to Leonard and said "Before you go, I want to
understand that you are no longer welcome in DeKalb County. I will post
your name, photography, and licence number in our files, and if you are seen
anywhere in DeKalb County at any time in the future, you will be arrested
for larceny. Do not underestimate how serious I am about this." Jim said
that Leonard was pretty much quaking in his boots by this point.
So, now we can put that CI Big Boss back together, we have an extra Axner
foot pedal (we had already purchased a replacement), and there were TWO
analog pyrometers in the box. Years ago, right after the Scott Creek parts
disappeared we replaced them, so now we can spend the extra $500 on other
things we need. And we don't have to worry about seeing Leonard around here
any more. Hopefully this will teach him a lesson, and he won't steal from
anyone else either, but I don't hold much hope for that, since he did not
return the Scott Creek parts.
At least this story had a happy ending for us, if not for Leonard.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
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