Caught!! Serial paddock wallet thief

This guy has been hitting racetracks around the country for years. He got my wallet and others at VIR and also hit tracks as far away as Road America. He targets a race group and locates thier paddock spots. When that group goes out he goes in all the trailers and steals the wallets from your street clothes.


Gainesville, FL -- A Georgia man who police report is suspected in race trailer burglaries over the past several years at Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta has been arrested after being caught sneaking into an RV at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, FL last week.



According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Gainesville police charged Steven Garry Sanders, 51, of Macon, GA with burglary after victims at the Gainesville track allegedly caught him in the act. "He was subdued in the pits by some of the fans and spectators and had to be taken to the hospital and treated" before he was booked into jail, Alachua County sheriff's spokesman Art Forgey told the Gainesville Sun. Forgey added, "Somebody at the track told us that they have had this problem before at the events, of people going into motor homes and taking stuff." According to the police report, Sanders had his victim's wallet, credit cards, ID and cash in his pocket when arrested.



Daytona Beach investigators told the paper they believe Sanders is the same man who stole a number of wallets from Daytona International Speedway race trailers during events over the last three years and fraudulently purchased items at area big-box stores including Publix, Dillards and Walmart, where surveillance video reportedly showed Sanders buying gift cards, bottled water and beer. A race fan tape-recorded Sanders as he allegedly stole from a nearby RV and still had his camera running when Sanders came into his vehicle next, Forgey said.



Daytona Beach police Sgt. Mike Griffin told the News-Journal that the suspect's preference was the road course races such as the Rolex 24 at Daytona, because they make it easier for a burglar to get in and out of the motor homes and trailers because racing team crew members are usually locals hired just for that race. "If they saw him standing around one of the trailers (and didn't recognize him) they probably thought he was just one of the crew members," Griffin said. At the 2012 Daytona 24, racer Lance Willsey was one of Sanders' alleged victims; Willsey left his trailer closed, but not locked, and went to the pit area. When he returned, he found his wallet and $800 in it both gone. After reporting his credit cards stolen, police found the surveillance videos showing the suspect using the stolen cards.



Sanders was charged in Gainesville with grand theft, burglary and providing false information to law enforcement, with bond set at $45,000. In addition, a Florida judge signed a warrant to have Sanders brought back to Volusia to face charges in Willsey's case and another 2010 Daytona theft.



According to an e-mail from Historic Sportscar Racing, anyone who's been a theft victim at Road Atlanta can contact the Hall County, GA detective working those cases, Joe Marriotti at 770.531.6879. HSR also reminded "...as always, please do not leave your paddock area unlocked when unattended."
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Ha! he got a good slap around and rightly so.

 

Wild. I bet the guys at dirt tracks and drag strips probably don't leave their wallets lying around...

At road courses, I've always left the keys in the trucks, wallet on the dash, a racetrack has always felt like the sort of place you can leave that worry behind, because of manned access gates, and the high cost of participation weeding out the scumbags...

 

Must've slipped.

 

This type of thing is more common than you might think. During a practice session at the Sebring 12 Hours a few years ago when the paddock was virtually empty somebody(s) swiped a number of tools from the team I was with at the time. It happened to another ALMS team at Mid-Ohio the same year.

Scumbags are everywhere.

 

Here's the thread from classracer.com. It happened during the Gators in Gainesville. Actually a lot of racers do leave their wallets in their trailers or motorhomes when they are racing. I for one never have.

http://classracer.com/classforum/showthread.php?t=39462

Drake

 

You gotta love the guy being in a neck brace for the mugshot.

 

YEARS ago, someone stole a big wad of cash from Benny Caiola at Targa66. Really just disgraceful. But, there are thieves everywhere.

This guy is a low-life, PoS, and I sincerely hope a certain measure of justice was administered...

We don't/can't lock up our trailer each and every time we go on track, but someone from the crew is usually hanging around.

CW

 

Especially early in the day on Friday things are rushed and usually in a hurry to get into drivers gear. Walk in the trailer and take off your street clothes and put on the drivers suit. Wallet is sitting in the back pocket of your jeans sitting on the chair in the trailer. I hide my now as soon as I get to the track. This guy knew this was most drivers M.O.

 

One year at the IMSA New Orleans race a crook did just that to a driver in the Firehawk series , the stupid crook got someone with a wallet full of plastic and about 3K in it . Te dumbass didn't even get a half mile away trying to use a credit card at the mall next to where the track was , talk about greedy and STUPID !!!!

 

That was this guys M.O. You have to use the plastic before they realize its been stolen. This guy would hit the first shopping area and buy as many gift cards as fast as he could and then get back in his car and hit the next shopping district to use the gift cards to buy more gift cards trying to launder them. He would often fill up with gas soon after leaving the track. I wouldn't be surprized if this isn't the same guy.

 

http://www.news-journalonline.com/breakingnews/2012/03/speedway-thief-nabbed-at-gainesville-race-police-say.html