Mystery Surrounds Large Scale Burglary In Stanislaus National Forest

Long Barn, Ca — An investigation continues into a mysterious burglary within the Stanislaus National Forest.

Earlier this month, the Bald Mtn. Helitack crew reported to duty at the heli-base in the Mi-Wuk Ranger District, just above Long Barn, to find that the building had been thoroughly burglarized.

According to Stanislaus National Forest Patrol Captain Jay Power, the access road gate off Hwy 108 had been entered, a window had been smashed, and approximately $80,000 worth of computers, radios, tools, etc. had been stolen. A 2004 six passenger 4X4 pickup was also taken, and presumably the stolen items were loaded into the truck.

The list of stolen items includes 9 chain saws, 4 computers, 5 GPS units, 5 printers, 13 handheld FM radios, 4 handheld Victor radios, 3 base station radios, 1 scanner, 3 pair of White´s boots, 3 fire line packs, 1 flight suit, a Sirius satellite radio, personal clothing, a FS jacket, a ring of keys to the station cordless drill, a cabinet full of tools, skill saw and hand tools.

The case got more interesting on Monday of this week when a Forest Service employee located the stolen truck sitting along Hwy 108. The passenger side windows had been punched out, the rear bumper and both license plates were removed, the right rear ¼ panel was damaged and radios were gone. In addition, the camper shell had been taken off, and in the bed of the truck was an old tank. Located in the rear seat of the vehicle were a copier and shredder that had been reported stolen from the building. An investigation into the matter is ongoing.

“At this point we really don´t have any solid leads, but both the County and Forest Service investigators are working on it,” says Power. “What I can tell you is that over the years, there have been a number of incidents like this in that Mi Wuk-Long Barn area. We are following up, but do not have anything solid at this point.”

Written by BJ Hansen