Given the rise in crime being seen across the nation these days, it's not a surprise to see the number of car break-ins these days. Cal Coetzee had that experience over the holiday break when his car was burgled behind his downtown loft.
But it wasn't just a season of taking for Cal -- it was a season of giving, too.
Cal -- whose downtown loft is featured in the latest issue of Our State's Signature magazine -- trained his webcam on the great outdoors while out of town, and regaled the ABCDdurham listserv with the results of both the theft and this, uh, anti-theft.
I mean, that's just kind of lame, ain't it? Pull your little U-Haul and your lousy SUV back behind somebody's building, and cart your old broken down washer outside their apartment?
Occasionally downtowners have experienced challenges with folks using their recycling and garbage bins for refuse, but I don't think I've heard of a situation where someone's needed a U-Haul to bring in their dumping.
Seems unlikely the perps will be caught -- though in a follow-up note, PAC5 co-facilitator Scott Harmon encouraged Cal to alert the Durham P.D. to the matter as a quality of life issue. Then again, we're sure that they're out there somewhere, waiting to be shamed via YouTube.
Please don't tell me they rented the uhaul to dump the washer/dryer. That would be incredibly funny since we have free bulky items and white good collection in the city now.
Posted by: duncan | January 05, 2009 at 11:55 AM
The phrase "working hard to make it easy" comes to mind...
Posted by: B | January 05, 2009 at 04:17 PM
Y'know...if you Google the address, and zoom in, there's an SUV parked in that lot that sure looks a lot like the accessory's (wife/girlfriend). The lot seems to serve as parking for the Clayton Myrick (etc.) firm on Parrish. Of course, CMMC has no website, so one cannot easily research its associates and staffers, but it does seem that someone likely had some familiarity with the area to do the dump. Or maybe it's just a coincidence.
Posted by: Jupiter Jones | January 05, 2009 at 04:45 PM
Nice! I guess that they were just too damned lazy to drive over to the Waste Disposal and Recycling Center on Club which was open at the time. And is it just me, or do they exchange something, maybe cash, after the deed has been done? Idiots!
I hope that these doofuses are identified and publicly embarrassed. So stupid!
Posted by: Steve G. | January 05, 2009 at 07:39 PM
Yeah...it looks like cash, doesn't it? I thought it odd since he gives it to her...'cause it seemed like he'd want it for the UHaul joint (no paper record or something).
I figure the dumpee probably works in Durham, lives in Wake and figures, "hey, what's one more piece of crap to dump on Durham?"
Let's pony up a Facebook/YouTube reward for the couple's public ID and humiliation.
Posted by: Robert | January 06, 2009 at 08:15 AM
Maybe the local TV stations should pick up the story and show the video. It beats waterskiing squirrels.
Posted by: RC | January 06, 2009 at 10:09 AM
Yesterday NBC was here to interview me about the two incidences and the cameras we have on the building. They saw the story here, and contacted moi. It's going to air next week.
Posted by: 209 | January 07, 2009 at 08:00 AM
That's good to hear. You know, as an aside, I found NBC-17 to be very connected to the goings on in Durham vs. WTVD.
Posted by: RC | January 07, 2009 at 02:33 PM