Attention: Bremerton/kitsap County

[Fledermaus]

There is a cache thief loose in this area. I have no evidence as to whether the thief is a geocacher or muggle.

 

To the best of my knowledge, only one other cache owner has reported a simular incident. Is there a connection? I would surely like to clear up that mystery. Maybe that cache owner and I can figure out what is going on!

 

My Chiroptera cache, located at the end of my driveway and in an old maple tree stump, has been stolen! It contained 2 Travel Bugs and now I have to report to the owners that they are MIA.

 

The Ammo-Can was unique! It had a 100 Milliwatt transmitter inside and it's frequency was 27.125(CB Ch. 14). It can be recognized by the SO-239 CB Connector on the right side of the case.

 

Furthormore, there was a 3 foot steel cable attached, with one end of the cable looped through a 6 inch eyescrew. The other end was attached to the box with a key type lock. In addition, the box was secured at the front with a combination lock.

 

Anyone having evidence pointing to a suspect is urged to contact me and/or geocaching.com and report what you know!

 

SUGGESTIONS WANTED:

 

Should I archive this cache or should I replace it? If I replace it, the vandal may target it again. If I archive it, then they may lookm for another cache of mine to target. What should I do next?

 

FLEDERMAUS

Edited March 29, 2004 by Fledermaus

[+CrimsonWrath]

Sorry to hear that it has been taken. Hopefully it will be recovered in short order. Until then, I would suggest leaving it disabled for a moderate amount of time. Maybe by then the thief will have moved on.

 

Did the cache get cut loose? It sounds like it was cabled to a pole.

[+Bull Moose]

Replace it. It's a fun little cache. Don't let cache pirates win.

Even if you just replace it with an unlocked, unmodified ammo box for now.

 

Given the location - more than a few feet off of a less than well used road on your property - of the cache, and how hard it was to see it even when I was standing right over it, I doubt it was a muggle. Most muggles won't go through the trouble of cutting a metal cord. It may not have been a cacher, but I'm guessing whoever did it knew what it was.

[+bumblingbs]

I'm so sorry to hear your cache was stolen! Here in my house, it's Fledermaus appreciation week, and it's really hard to see.

With this happening after East Bremerton micro was vandalized, I would be worrying about whether you were being personally targeted. Have a beef with another local geocacher? Any especially disgruntled DNF logs lately?

If it were me, I would wait for a bit to make sure nothing else went missing. While I agree with not letting the pirates win, I wouldn't want to feed the bear, either. Cache containers and their contents cost money.

You're a pretty handy guy-can't you rig up a cache that, when removed from it's spot activates a net that scoops up the offender?

[+Bull Moose]

You're a pretty handy guy-can't you rig up a cache that, when removed from it's spot activates a net that scoops up the offender?

That's a hilarious idea. I could see driving down the road and seeing some guy up in a net. "Looks like the bat snagged another one!"

 

Though, with my experiences with some of his caches, I'd probably accidently trip the trap without ever seeing the cache.

[+Bull Moose]

If it were me, I would wait for a bit to make sure nothing else went missing. While I agree with not letting the pirates win, I wouldn't want to feed the bear, either. Cache containers and their contents cost money.

True. I would wait a few weeks. Unfortunately, if this is directed at Fledermaus personally he has lots of other caches to plunder.

[+Criminal]

There are reports of a cache pirate in a thread over in the General forums as well. This sux.

 

Fledermaus, if you need another ammo can, let me know.

[+kiltsurfer]

Well that just sucks!!! That was a great cache to talk about, it stands out of the 27 that I did that day. You did a great job on that cache and I think you should replace it.

 

Let's hope this guy gets bored and moves on....

[Fledermaus]

I have a method that just might work, and you might need to bring a very large tool and make lots of noise to get it loose from it's mountings. No cables to cut, and no eyebolts to cut. I only wish that I knew how to use a chainsaw without chopping myself to bits in the process.

 

BTW, after furthor inspection, the culprit used a hacksaw to cut through the 5/16 inch 6 inch long Eyebolt that was threaded deeply into the tree.

 

Yes, I do have a couple of suspect! One of them is a local and "inexperienced geocacher", as stated my a well know local cache Approver/Reviewer.

 

I have several larger ammo-cans, but I would like to make a deal with someone who has a couple of smaller one.

 

I am going to wait, but not because I want things to cool down a bit. I would like to confer with a friend of mine who wants a piece of the action or the culprit.

 

Considering the materials and time put into that container, it's reported worth was over $100, to include it's contents, both mine those of the TB owners.

 

Thanks for all the support! I will survive and will come back with a vengence!

 

Fledermaus

[+KB5VFM]

Fledermaus;

 

I've got a chainsaw and know how to use it if you need some assistance with a "plan"

 

I drove by looking for that cache a day after you reported it missing, just couldn't find a good place to park my huge beast of a truck, so I went in search of Tower of Power, all to no avail, couldn't find any rocks in the area I was looking in, but noticed my batteries were getting very flat and didn't have any spares to use, so called it a day.

 

Dennis

[+travisl]

I suspect, but have no proof, that this was taken from an identifiable muggle. From logs on the missing cache's page:

 

HeadLlama, 4/4/03:

Dropped by the batcave today but the Batman himself was not home. (Probably out seeking my caches). Took a while to get the lock open, all the while I was watched by the neighbor

 

Dayvi, 3/7/03:

It seemed that this might take me to somebody's front yard (or would that be back yard). I read the hint before doing any trespassing, and that led me to the right place

 

Seattle Seekers, 2/1/03:

We didnt have to worry about which driveway to go to since the Crazy neighbor has now put up no tresspassing signs everywhere.

 

Oregone, 12/28/02:

that's when the weird neighbor showed up outta nowhere complete with dog and mild profanity

 

Slinger91, 12/28/02:

Say fledermaus, has you neighbor ever come after you with a tennis racket?

 

LindaLu, 12/28/02:

That was one cranky neighbor!

 

Me, 12/28/02:

The GPS first pointed us up a neighbor's driveway, which was the wrong way (according to the neighbor, he's 'not into that crap'

 

The1Nub, 12/28/02:

as we are looking for the cache a man and a dog get out of their truck and using some really good language and lets us know that this was his property and that he isn't into that S*%$, but that his neighbor was

[+Bull Moose]

I suspect, but have no proof, that this was taken from an identifiable muggle.  From logs on the missing cache's page:

I kind of doubt he'd wait almost a year-and-a-half to remove the cache if he was going to remove it. I might get cranky if a Bremerton Cache Machine show'd up in my front yard, too.

(In fact, this is why I'm going to ask that one of my caches not be included in the BCM scheduled for next year, it's in a high profile area and I don't want it muggled because a parade of cachers showed up all at once.)

 

He does seem like a crank, though. Why does living on a waterfront make people cranky? It was the same way with people living on Lake Michigan where I'm from.

Edited April 2, 2004 by Bull Moose