Little River Thieves

FYI, We were diving Little River today (Memorial Day Weekend) and while we were in the cave, three men were heard by our surface support lady that they were going into the hole to get our "extra" tanks. They did not get the tanks but left after coming out. They were driving an old red pickup (the one selling boiled peanuts), another an old blue van and the other older white car. I will be discussing this with some of my friends in the Suwannee County Sheriff's office. Since I live here, I will figure out who these guys are. Once we found out, we thought it might be appropriate to take them on a cave "tour". :roll: If you have better information, let me or the others know.
Thanks,
Mickey

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Originally Posted by Mickey J. Jones

FYI, We were diving Little River today (Memorial Day Weekend) and while we were in the cave, three men were heard by our surface support lady that they were going into the hole to get our "extra" tanks. They did not get the tanks but left after coming out. They were driving an old red pickup (the one selling boiled peanuts), another an old blue van and the other older white car. I will be discussing this with some of my friends in the Suwannee County Sheriff's office. Since I live here, I will figure out who these guys are. Once we found out, we thought it might be appropriate to take them on a cave "tour". :roll: If you have better information, let me or the others know.
Thanks,
Mickey

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Best wishes to you. I'm glad they didn't get your "extra" tanks.

You always hope for the best in people but sometimes they let you down.

When I run for a seat in the Florida State House of Representatitives I will introduce a bill to make law the theft of diving equipment while deployed a felony. In addition, I will introduce a bill to open diving sites on state owned property to ALL qualified divers, researchers, and explorers. Obviously, once elected , I will have to change my screen name to support my position like so many other politicians think they are to "Above The Law Caver".

I vote for Vince!

A picture should say a 1000 words. Go get em!

Good god, Mark, where'd you find that picture? I think I recognize 3 or 4 of those guys!

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Originally Posted by Mickey J. Jones

...... I will be discussing this with some of my friends in the Suwannee County Sheriff's office. Since I live here, I will figure out who these guys are.....

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Excellent idea!

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Originally Posted by OutlawCaver

When I run for a seat in the Florida State House of Representatitives I will introduce a bill to make law the theft of diving equipment while deployed a felony. In addition, I will introduce a bill to open diving sites on state owned property to ALL qualified divers, researchers, and explorers. Obviously, once elected , I will have to change my screen name to support my position like so many other politicians think they are to "Above The Law Caver".

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Whoa! The skeletons in your closet and a political carrier? Water and oil, man!

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Originally Posted by Mickey J. Jones

FYI, We were diving Little River today (Memorial Day Weekend) and while we were in the cave, three men were heard by our surface support lady that they were going into the hole to get our "extra" tanks. They did not get the tanks but left after coming out. They were driving an old red pickup (the one selling boiled peanuts), another an old blue van and the other older white car. I will be discussing this with some of my friends in the Suwannee County Sheriff's office. Since I live here, I will figure out who these guys are. Once we found out, we thought it might be appropriate to take them on a cave "tour". :roll: If you have better information, let me or the others know.
Thanks,
Mickey

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Thanks for the heads up, will keep an eye out when there!

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Originally Posted by swadiver

Whoa! The skeletons in your closet and a political carrier? Water and oil, man!

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Hey I paid my debts to society. In just a few more months I will be allowed to remove the sign from my yard and start handing out candy again in my driveway on halloween.

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Originally Posted by OutlawCaver

Hey I paid my debts to society. In just a few more months I will be allowed to remove the sign from my yard and start handing out candy again in my driveway on halloween.

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Wow, that went quick, congrats! :clapper

I'm guessing they still haven't found out about that other stuff? Whew!

Maybe some signs explaining the that tanks left in the water are not "extra tanks", and that taking such " extra tanks" could actually kill or badly injure a diver would be a good idea. At least this way if someone was caught the argument could be made that this wasn't just a simple theft. If someone was to steal the brakes from your car and you crashed because of it, it's no longer a simple theft.

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Originally Posted by mwenner

A picture should say a 1000 words. Go get em!

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I think that's a picture of Vince's cabinet members.

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Originally Posted by underwaterjedi

Maybe some signs explaining the that tanks left in the water are not "extra tanks", and that taking such " extra tanks" could actually kill or badly injure a diver would be a good idea. At least this way if someone was caught the argument could be made that this wasn't just a simple theft. If someone was to steal the brakes from your car and you crashed because of it, it's no longer a simple theft.

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Kinda like the no dumping signs with all the trash surrounding them. These do***bags don't care. They need to get caught and be introduced to a Louisville Slugger in the knees and shins. Unfortunately the best you would get is a felony theft if the value is over what the state sets as a felony.

I've already been told how ignorant I am (on a regular basis by my wife LOL) so don't remind me but, before I got into cavern, I didn't know people would leave stage tanks and in my younger days might would have thought they were left/forgoten. Now, I hope that even in my wild and crazy stupidity filled younger days that I would have turned them in somewhere. But in a remote area I probably would have just figured, "if I don't get them someone else will!" So saying that I was a border line thief as a teenager, I believe signs would at least make people think twice or at least inform the more ignorant (to cavern/cave diving) people that taking the tanks could possibly kill someone. Nothing will ever stop all criminals but I feel that a sign would help. My dad always said "a lock doesn't stop anyone from stealing your things, it keeps an honest man honest." Just a little input from a dumb grunt.

Signs ???? You may disagree, but we don't need any signs explaining the situation. Fact is, a damn thief is a thief !!!! A sign isn't going to stop them, however, the Louisville Slugger might !!!!

Personally, I hate a damn thief, and the one thing I hate more than a thief is handling a thief with kid gloves, slapping them on the wrist, and telling them to stop. A smack in the mouth would send a better message.

A sign???? Are you serious????:roll:

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Originally Posted by cavediver256

Signs ???? You may disagree, but we don't need any signs explaining the situation. Fact is, a damn thief is a thief !!!! A sign isn't going to stop them, however, the Louisville Slugger might !!!!

Personally, I hate a damn thief, and the one thing I hate more than a thief is handling a thief with kid gloves, slapping them on the wrist, and telling them to stop. A smack in the mouth would send a better message.

A sign???? Are you serious????:roll:

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I guess not.:rollguy As everyone knows, I don't know anything about cave diving or what goes on at cave diving sites. I agree that a thief is a thief and should not be handled with kid gloves, hell I think they should cut a thiefs hands off in the town square for all to see. I just also think that a percentage, however small, of the tanks being taken is due to ignorance. Don't mean to imply that signs would completely solve the problem. It would at least be a way to help prosecute to the fullest if they were caught though.:smt102

Murf, the fact is, they are pretty well sure they didn't come there with the gear that they are leaving with. They know beyond a shadow of a doubt they didn't pay for the gear, yet they are going to take it home or try and sell it at the earliest possible convenience. That isn't ignorance, my friend, that is a damn thief !!!!

I do agree that every once in a blue moon, a diver comes along that doesn't know any better and picks up a bottle laying in open water, but they show up at the closest shop saying that they found this and wanting to know if someone may have lost it. They are not trying to make a fast buck off it !!!! Who do I blame in that instance, the diver that left the bottle laying in open water !!!!

I will be the first to admit, I take my O2 into the cave far enough that open water divers should not be able to access it(even if it is beyond the 20ft depth). I know what it is, and I damn well know I better not deploy that regulator until I am in 20 feet of water or less.

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Originally Posted by cavediver256

I do agree that every once in a blue moon, a diver comes along that doesn't know any better and picks up a bottle laying in open water, but they show up at the closest shop saying that they found this and wanting to know if someone may have lost it.

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I guess this is what I'm talking about and in that one instance, a cave diver could be at real risk where maybe a $20 sign could have prevented it. I know signs would never stop the thieves.

So when we gonna go diving? hahaha I'll be leaving soon and I haven't got to meet you yet.

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Originally Posted by murfef

I guess this is what I'm talking about and in that one instance, a cave diver could be at real risk where maybe a $20 sign could have prevented it. I know signs would never stop the thieves.

So when we gonna go diving? hahaha I'll be leaving soon and I haven't got to meet you yet.

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Well while it would suck to come back from a cave dive and find your O2 missing, I don't know if you would be at a truly life or death moment. You would definitely spend more time there than you had planned, but you could deco out on backgas. You would leave the water a little more cold and wrinkled than you had planned but alive and well.

Stage bottles should never be missing, IMHO, because they are far enough in that anyone finding those should know better than to take them. Anyone that takes a stage bottle should be given a good old fashion blanket party with pillow cases full of canned drinks !!!!!

What have ya got planned for the weekend????

work, might be able to be off next sunday though. We graduate on July 2nd. Should be leaving soon after that to move to Hawaii though. What did you have in mind?

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Originally Posted by Mickey J. Jones

FYI, We were diving Little River today (Memorial Day Weekend) and while we were in the cave, three men were heard by our surface support lady that they were going into the hole to get our "extra" tanks. They did not get the tanks but left after coming out. They were driving an old red pickup (the one selling boiled peanuts), another an old blue van and the other older white car. I will be discussing this with some of my friends in the Suwannee County Sheriff's office. Since I live here, I will figure out who these guys are. Once we found out, we thought it might be appropriate to take them on a cave "tour". :roll: If you have better information, let me or the others know.
Thanks,
Mickey

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Mickey, did you leave your deco bottles at ~20ft or did you take them down to where the main line begins? I have been dropping mine at the main line at LR and Ginnie to avoid the casual free-diving thieves. However, if these hard times are creating motivated thieves perhaps I need to carry deco bottles farther into the caves.

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Originally Posted by murfef

I've already been told how ignorant I am (on a regular basis by my wife LOL) so don't remind me but, before I got into cavern, I didn't know people would leave stage tanks and in my younger days might would have thought they were left/forgoten. Now, I hope that even in my wild and crazy stupidity filled younger days that I would have turned them in somewhere. But in a remote area I probably would have just figured, "if I don't get them someone else will!" So saying that I was a border line thief as a teenager, I believe signs would at least make people think twice or at least inform the more ignorant (to cavern/cave diving) people that taking the tanks could possibly kill someone. Nothing will ever stop all criminals but I feel that a sign would help. My dad always said "a lock doesn't stop anyone from stealing your things, it keeps an honest man honest." Just a little input from a dumb grunt.

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The easy answer is if you didn't put it there.... Don't take it anywhere.

More likely your sign would just alert criminals to be that we leave stuff and they would wait for us to go in and then swoop in and take it.

You thinking that a criminal would not do something for the fear that it might hurt someone..... Wishful thinking.

concrete block + chain + pad lock = less theft.

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Originally Posted by Hoska

concrete block + chain + pad lock = less theft.

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On the gear or the theives? :smt102

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Originally Posted by icestac

On the gear or the theives? :smt102

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Yes

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Originally Posted by Hoska

concrete block + chain + pad lock = less theft.

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Is that really what we've come to? I certainly hope not. Why not just carry your gas far enough into the cave that swimmers can't reach it?

Of course, if we're talking about thefts by other divers then that's an entirely different (and in my opinion infinitely more serious) problem. But it's my impression that the majority of these types of incidents are perpetrated by non-divers.

Brian

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Originally Posted by TerryK

Mickey, did you leave your deco bottles at ~20ft or did you take them down to where the main line begins? I have been dropping mine at the main line at LR and Ginnie to avoid the casual free-diving thieves. However, if these hard times are creating motivated thieves perhaps I need to carry deco bottles farther into the caves.

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We left them in the crevices to the right at 28' (current river level) so they would not be easily gotten them.

Update. I talked to one of the Chief Investigators for Suwannee County (my neighbor) and he said that they would start working to ID the people. I told that others have had problems down there so if you have more info, let me know.
Thanks,
Mickey

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Originally Posted by Benthic

Is that really what we've come to? I certainly hope not. Why not just carry your gas far enough into the cave that swimmers can't reach it?

Of course, if we're talking about thefts by other divers then that's an entirely different (and in my opinion infinitely more serious) problem. But it's my impression that the majority of these types of incidents are perpetrated by non-divers.

Brian

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Perhaps a sign saying "please breathe me, strawberry flavored 02", and leave that at the sign. you may find your tank, and any potential thief, there when you come back.

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Originally Posted by KarsticGator

Perhaps a sign saying "please breathe me, strawberry flavored 02", and leave that at the sign. you may find your tank, and any potential thief, there when you come back.

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Maybe or maybe not, that strawberry O2 might go well with there strawberry margaritas, those pansy's.

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Originally Posted by KarsticGator

Perhaps a sign saying "please breathe me, strawberry flavored 02", and leave that at the sign. you may find your tank, and any potential thief, there when you come back.

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How about exploding dye markers? :smt073