Man Caught With Stolen Ladders - Winthrop Sides with Thief

My ladder was stolen last week. It was a 32' fiberglass ladder which cost me $400 at Home Depot, and which usually hangs on the side of my garage. I realized it was missing when I went to paint the south side of my house on Sunday. The last time I had seen it was probably Wednesday or Thursday. 

For a while, I assumed that the ladder was long gone, because there are probably hundreds of 32' fiberglass ladders in Newport, but I mentioned the theft to the police on Monday afternoon.  I mentioned that I would touch base with the contractor who was working in the neighborhood.  I candidly said that I was mad, but if it was a simple misunderstanding, and I could get the ladder back, that we could just let it go without police involvement. We agreed to talk again on Tuesday. 

Later that afternoon, I stopped by my house to let the dogs out.  As I walked from my car, I saw it.  My ladder was on the roof rack of a contractor's truck idling in the driveway of a neighbor.  It was underneath another ladder, and concealed by the sides of the ladder rack, but I knew it was mine.  I quickly took a picture and texted it to the police officer with whom I had discussed the incident earlier. Then I went in and let the dogs out. 

I came out out a short time later, just as the contractor was returning to his truck. I asked him why he had my ladder on his roof. He said it wasn't mine. I walked over to the ladder and pointed out that it was splattered with three colors: Granite Gray, Brilliant White and Hunter Green. I then pointed toward my house and told him that I've used those exact same colors to paint one side of my house every year for the last 10 years.

The contractor again denied that it was my ladder, then became verbally and physically confrontational.  He clearly did not expect me to stop by the house in the middle of the day.  When he flailed at me, I was wearing a suit and tie, but I still defended myself - spinning him and shoving him away. He tripped over a cobblestone and landed face first on my lawn. He continued to curse, and when he got up and lurched toward me, I spun him and shoved him away again.  After he fell a second time, he stopped and yelled that he was sorry for taking my ladders. He also offered to pay me a rental fee for using them without permission. I declined and told him to get my ladder off of his truck. 

I immediately called police dispatch and asked for assistance. While I was on the phone with the police department, I noticed that he had also taken my 8' aluminum step ladder (which cost $150). I told him forcefully to put both ladders back where he found them. 

He put both ladders back in the general area where they had been last week, and also added a third ladder which was not mine. 

While I waited for the police, he explained weakly that he thought the ladders belonged to a deceased client of mine.  Aside: I had confronted the same contractor earlier in the spring when I noticed that several of the deceased's tools were missing and others had been removed and placed in a pickup truck.  I had told the contractor to put the dead man's tools back, and informed the contractor at that time that I was the executor of the deceased's estate.  I explained that this meant that I was responsible for handling the deceased's property.  

So when he offered this weak response yesterday, I told him that stealing my dead client's tools was not any better than stealing my tools.

When the police responded, I was pretty shaken up, but I was cooperative and calmly explained the incident. I indicated that I was satisfied that my ladders were returned, and that I didn't want to injure his reputation by having him charged with stealing, or having him charged with assault based upon his physical aggression.

However, on Tuesday, I reconsidered. The fact is that this contractor stole two ladders from my home, and assaulted me when I confronted him with his theft.  His response that he thought he was taking the tools of a dead man was incredible.  It has me concerned for his future clients in Newport. So I sent a note to the police department, and indicated that after reconsidering the matter, I wished to press charges against the contractor.  I've not been informed of their decision.

I'm posting this because Mayor Winthrop is trying to use this incident for political purposes. Last night, Mayor Winthrop gleefully reported to other council members that I had assaulted a contractor.  Apparently he was informed of the incident by Jane Howington. He didn't tell the other councilors that the contractor stole 2 ladders from me, and he didn't tell them that the contractor admitted that the ladders did not belong to him, he didn't tell them that the contractor assaulted me when I confronted him with his possession of my stolen property, and he didn't tell them that the thief did not have a license to drive the car on which he transported my ladder, and he didn't tell them that I was the individual who contacted police before, during and after the incident.

On the positive side, I received 2 very kind calls from Councilors Leonard and Napolitano when they first heard about the incident. They both called to see that I was OK, and I won't forget their kindness.  

Unfortunately, Harry and Jane's response was  about as expected. Granted, Mayor Winthrop is no stranger to assault.  But not like this.

The fact is that a contractor stole my ladders, got caught in possession of my ladders, then  assaulted me, and after I defended myself by spinning and shoving him away, he tried to claim that it wasn't theft because he thought he had taken the ladders from my dead client.  Only Harry and Jane could take the side of this ladder thief over me.  

There are a number of lessons to be taken from this incident.  The first is that when you catch someone with your stolen property, you should probably wait for NPD to arrive. A close second is that you shouldn't steal tools - from anyone living or dead. A distant third is that if Mayor Winthrop or Jane Howington say that I "bullied" a thief, you might take it with a grain of salt.