UPDATE! 11/28/2011 ::

 

Five tweakers charged in connection to U-Haul truck theft!

 

Thank you to everyone who called in and emailed us information and tips regarding this crime. Information coming in through this website has been invaluable. Your anonymous information made a significant difference in solving this crime. Thanks also to everyone who called and emailed offering moral support, your kind words helped me make it through the darkest of times.

 

Special thanks to all the men and women of the Issaquah Police Department, the Kings County Sheriff's department, and the Tukwila Police Department who worked tirelessly on this case.

 

With the combination of excellent police work and valuable anonymous tips, a portion of my property has been recovered and some of the criminals have been charged.

 

Hopefully after spending some time in jail, these people will never commit such crimes again.

 

20 foot long U-Haul truck stolen from Issaquah Hilton Garden Inn Sunday, February 13th, 2011.

 

Focus now shifting to the recovery of stolen property. There is a list of missing items and a .PDF file with images of some of the stolen property. Help needed in recovering property. If anyone has any information, please call 206 422-7326 or email us at .

 

My story.

Hi, my name is Zack. I'm a digital computer artist, a part-time firearms instructor and a budding outdoorsman. I grew up in the age of Woodsy the Owl, who always gave a "HOOT", and I'm still haunted by that 70's public service message about pollution that featured a Native American with a tear rolling down his face. Whenever I enter a wilderness area I am grateful and it becomes my mission to leave it healthier than when I arrived, as my friends can attest; I'm always collecting other peoples litter and trash. When I'm in the city, I'm on the lookout for ways I can be helpful towards my neighbors. I'm one of those guys who stops and helps you push your car when it's stuck.

A week ago I packed everything I own into the back of a 20' long U-Haul truck. Everything. All of my life's work as a graphic artist, every picture I ever made, every computer illustration, every second of animation I ever created. Everything I owned and worked my butt off for the past 20 years to earn. Every sentimental gift I ever received. All of my clothes, shoes, my camping gear, my winter gear, my bicycle, my beloved blender and juicer, and worst of all my firearms; all of it was in the back of that truck. I'm a do it yourself kind of guy, and with that adventurous spirit, I rented that U-Haul truck and drove up to a town outside Seattle called Issaquah.

My love for nature and the outdoors has brought me here to enjoy this beautiful area. The drive took two days and I was fastidious at ensuring the safety of the truck. The truck was never left unattended, not even for one second. I slept in the cab and at pit stops someone always had an eye on the truck. I arrived in the Seattle area near the end of last week, and parked myself at the Hilton Garden Inn in town. I was relieved to survive the, at times, harrowing drive, and let my guard down and the truck unattended for an afternoon. While out finding a new place to live the U-Haul truck was stolen, along with everything I own. Everything I ever created as an artist. Everything I worked my whole life for; POOF!… GONE!

When I think of all my belonging being gone it's my firearms that I'm most sick and upset about. It makes me sick to think of them being used to commit more crime. My life's work as an artist, and personal life story, are harmless to my new neighbors. My weapons, however, are not. I feel like I just released a virus into this beautiful Seattle area, and that keeps me up at night and makes me ill.

I'm new to this town and this community. And I know most people here are honest hard working folks like myself. I also now realize there are some real rotten dirtbags walking among and preying on the good folks. I'm making an appeal to this community to help me find the felons responsible for this crime. Someone knows something. My whole life as I knew it is over and gone. I wouldn't wish these feelings of loss, anger, disgust and hopelessness on anyone. I would never want to see my neighbors be a victim of any kind of crime, let alone one so devastating as this.

I’m calling on the community, this Seattle community that I’m a new member of, to help me stop these dirtbags. Someone knows something. People talk. If a community works together we can police ourselves and prevent acts of theft and violence by helping our neighbors and watching each other's back. These criminals destroyed my life, as I knew it; help me catch them before they do it to someone else. Talk to people. Ask around. Download and print a flyer, hang it up in your local laundry mat, coffee shop, neighborhood deli, liquor store, supermarket, pawnshop, anyplace. If you work at a storage facility, how about taking a look at the surveillance tapes. This website will soon contain a list of all the stolen items and an image gallery for many of them.

I’ll do anything to get my computers with all my artwork back; but I'm most terribly concerned about my self-defense and training weapons falling into the hands of criminals that may use them to commit more acts of violence or crime.

I’m offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the criminals responsible.

To the good folks out there, I have your back; do you have mine?