You don't see that every day
When one thinks of stealing, what generally comes to mind is items of easily portable value - jewels, cash, cars, and the like. What doesn't come to mind is silos. Tall, cylindrical structures for storing grain. If you had asked me, I would not have thought it possible to steal a silo. Nevertheless, an Akron, Ohio man was convicted by my mom for doing just that. Retired, and readily available for civic duties like jury service, mom was one of twelve upright citizens who put the kabosh on this silo-thieving maniac.
Who knows what might have happened had his criminal career gone unthwarted? The growing epidemic of silo-grifting might be of serious import. Silos might be gateway structures that lead to even more dangerous building theft. Unpunished for abducting silos and selling them on the brisk farm outbuilding black market, he might have moved on to bigger game. Like turnpike tollbooths. Or stripmall yogurt franchises. Or even U-Store-It warehouses.
However, it should be noted that this guy, Thomas Woosnam, was probably not cut out for a life of criminal wrongdoing. When confronted by the authorities, his only defense was, "He thought when he took these (silos) that he could take them." Apparently he believed that since they were abandoned, and not being used, they were free for the taking. Quipped Assistant County Prosecutor Scott Salisbury, "At age 3 or 4 you learn to keep your hands off other people's stuff. (Woosnam) never learned that lesson.'' We all know that ignorance of the law is no excuse. But a corollary of that bit of folk wisdom might be, "lack of a plausible excuse leads to soggy pepper steak at the county jail."
Hats off to mom, fighting crime in the big city.
[wik] At least the accused wasn't the Medina City Mayor, as has often been the case in the past. Medina has more executive malfeasance per capita than any city I'm aware of. Plus corrupt judges with cross-dressing murderous sons. And crack-smoking ex mayors living with prostitututes. And goofy hippie mayors who take out full page adds in the local paper consisting solely of the lyrics to John Lennon's Imagine. And much, much more.
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No luck yet looking into the
No luck yet looking into the recidivism rates for silo-stealers. I mean, sure he might do a stint in county, with its comfy chairs and On Demand cable TV and hot running water, but what about after?
Is society safer? Our silos? It seems his kind go right back to the fields, running with their old homeboys, where the lure of the quick and easy score is so preferable to hard work. It's easy to find a silo-pimp in his Benz and bling, but what about Joe Combine? He needs to be more visible and present in these people's lives.
That and midnight basketball.