Oregon Craigslist looting was burglary cover-up

The fake Craigslist ads which provoked a stampede of looters to strip an Oregon man's home were posted by two thieves attempting to cover their tracks, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. Robert Salisbury of Jacksonville returned home on Saturday, 22 March, to find about 30 people rummaging through his barn and front porch …

[Spbmssen]

It has to be said...

What a couple of Herberts.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re - It has to be said

LOL.

Go get his coat...and his horse and saddles...

[Nick Pettefar]

Sort of like a

MyFace party without the loud music...

[Neil]

I was thinking

It was all an insurance scam by the guy who was "robbed". You know, hide everything he wants to keep that's of value, post the ad and oh dear, everything has been taken and he arrived just too late. Wait for the insurance to cough up and he's quids in.

</cynicism>

[Lloyd]

Yeah-ha

Just looking at them makes me think that you've identified a gene pool deserving of a darwin award.

[Rob]

I'm not sure I want to know but...

Husband and wife or brother and sister?

You can already tell from the picture that they are definitely sleeping together...

[Anonymous Coward]

@lloyd

Hmmmmm..... now there's an idea

[Tom Turck]

makes total sense

Never underestimate a criminal mind. Alton and Deborah Coleman (Serial Killers) used classisifed ads to find victims in the 80's, they'd pop in, ask to see the camper or whatever was for sale and kill everyone...

[Spleen]

Re: Lloyd and Rob

Criminal bottom-feeders they may be, but have you ever seen anyone that looked good in a mugshot?

[James Chidley]

So close and yet so far.

Shame they didn't think a little and post the ad from someone elses un-passworded open wi-fi, I'm sure theres still enough of them about, might have been a crafty con otherwise.

[Law]

why are titles compulsory!?! Grrr - death to the vulture icon until this is corrected!

... and they would have got away with it if it wasn't for those pesky kids.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: makes total sense

Although I had never previously heard of Alton and Deborah Coleman, I would like to think that from your description of their crazy antics, it probably isn't necessary to exlplain that they were, in fact, serial killers.

[Anonymous Coward]

@ Spleen

Steve McQueen.

[StopthePropaganda]

ah, "looters"

so if someone were to post an ad saying cars were free, you can bet your @ss you'd get jailed if you took one. Anyone grabbing stuff, regardless of a craigslist printout, is a thief, and I guarantee many of those "looters" had a very good idea what was up. Ignorance is no excuse, and when confronted by the owner, who could prove his residency, at that point they were thieves pure and simple-if they threatened the owner when they kept going, they get arrested for First Degree Burglary. I hope he has their license plate, descriptions, and calls them in. Especially with all this media coverage, anyone who failed to return stuff (and you know they get access to media coverage because they got craigslist) is nothing but a sleazy crook.

[kain preacher]

Damn

It was not enough just to rob him once.

I bet if they didn't use craigs list they might of gotten away with it. Nope lets comit a crime and cover it up by drawing more attention .

[Jon Tocker]

@ Kain

Especially since it was bunging it on Craigslist that called attention to *themselves* as well. Oh look, *these* guys posted the listing. And look, they recently sold stuff that matches the description of missing goods.

Shit, not even the Famous Five could have solved it quicker.

[James Butler]

@Spleen

Paris Hilton and Mel Gibson both had PR-friendly mug shots ... and, most certainly, Nick Nolte did NOT.

[Anonymous Coward]

Craig List Bomb

A new form of Terrah [TM] ?

Advertise the contents of a Government building as 'free for the offing" and sit back and watch*

* Probably only work in the US

[Anonymous Coward]

RE:Craig List Bomb

"* Probably only work in the US"

Oh I dunno 'bout that. Just tell them to bring along some weird ID card and they'll be waved right into UK gov buildings - worked for thieves entering what was it... Downing St or some place like that?

[Anonymous Coward]

@Jon Tocker

"Shit, not even the Famous Five could have solved it quicker."

You mean even British police could of solved it ??

[4a$$Monkey]

Aren’t you allowed to shoot home invaders on sight in America?

Breakout the M16... it’s for home protection!

[Anonymous Coward]

@ 4a$$monkey

Prolly not in Touchy-Feely Oregon. The laws vary by state. In Oregon, you're probably required to ask the thieves if they'd like to clean out the attic, too.

[Judi Walch]

Vulnerable!

4.3.08

With first hand experience in living outside of Medford and with a husband that spent 31 years as a police officer for Jackson County, it would blow your mind to know how vulnerable we (the general publice) are to this type of crime especially for those of us who live in moderate to extreme rural areas. Personally, I do feel that Craig's List is responsible to a small degree. Even though there was no direct intent on the part of Craig's List to make money off of the crime it was still the end result. Craig's List profited from a crime by allowing that "type" of ad to run. Where is their liabiltiy? Anyone at Craig's List that read that ad HAD to know it was a hoax or at least checked it out before posting it. It's a sham that we should all be aware of. Don't laugh, it could happen to you!

Some advice for Craig's List;hire someone to scan the ads for this type of crime and ship all these ads to a local law enforcement agencies. All it would have taken is a phone call to the owner to verify this information.

jw in southern Oregon

[kain preacher]

@a$$monkey

Yep in the wrong state you will be doing life.

In California some breaks into your house to have reasonable believe they intend to do you harm before you can use force. Some states say you have a duty to retreat . There are states like Florida and Texas that basically say once they step on to your property with the intent to comet a crime you can light em up like the 4th of July.