If you are aware of the two different types of spray-on bedliners, which are “oxygen-catalyzed” and “chemically catalyzed,” you are probably into custom trucks.
In South Carolina, however, criminals are into them as well, and custom trucks are being targeted for theft.
Mike Lee, owner of Mr. Scrape Customs, is without his prized vehicle thanks to this recent custom truck crime spree. Mr. Scrape Customs is located in Sumter, SC, and provides custom and restoring treatment for vehicles.
Lee came up to North Carolina for the annual Charlotte AutoFair located at Charlotte Motor Speedway. His favorite vehicle was set to be on display at the Autofair that week, but he ran into a small problem: it wasn’t there.
“I went outside to come back to the show and it was gone,” Lee said. The “it” Lee is referring to is his red 1983 GMC pickup truck.
Lee parked his truck at the parking lot at the Embassy Suites in Charlotte and was extremely upset by his misfortune. “For somebody to just come through and steal them like it’s nothing. It’s the ultimate slap in the face,” Lee told Fox News Charlotte.
Lee’s truck wasn’t the only truck stolen overnight. According to Concord Police, two other cases of older custom trucks were stolen from hotel parking lots.
Detectives believe that all three crimes are connected. The other two custom trucks that were stolen from parking lots are a 1995 Chevy truck and a 1985 Chevy truck. The 95 Chevy was stolen from the Hilton Garden Inn and the 85 Chevy was stolen from Suburban Extended Stay.
The FBI believes that most of these crimes are part of organized crime rings with experienced vehicle thefts. LoJack reports that at least one vehicle is stolen in the U.S. every 45 seconds and in 2013, there were more than $4.1 billion lost because of vehicle thefts.
Lee is offering a $1,500 reward for the truck’s return. Charlotte Motor Speedway officials report that there have been no issues with thefts at the race track.
