Craigslist posting for free items leads to theft
LYNNWOOD, Wash. -- An ad posted on Craigslist got a local apartment complex ripped off, but the person who responsible for it might not even know he committed a crime.
Many of the people living at the Lynnwood Country Club Apartments don't have a lot of money. But they came together over the weekend to have a yard sale and make a few bucks.
In the end, they ended up losing out. And now there isn't much left in the recreation room of the apartment complex. A place where neighbors go to gather is now missing a lot.
"They took very expensive end tables, over 30 DVDs, a DVD player, a color television set," said apartment manager Karen Cunningham. "It's just empty. It's just totally empty."
On Saturday, the room was packed with things to sell at the yard sale. The sale itself was a success.
After the sale, Cunningham posted an ad on Craigslist, offering up the leftover items for free. Her posted instructed interested parties to simply contact her, and bring a donated food item for the local food bank.
But instead of contacting Cunningham, someone apparently drove to the posted address on Sunday, found the unlocked door to the recreation room, and took whatever they wanted.
"They took all my folding tables," Cunningham said. "I had six folding tables leaning up against the wall. I had six folding tables."
The overall loss is taking a toll.
"Being on a fixed income, it's going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to replace this," Cunningham said.
The apartment manager has posted new ads on Craigslist, pleading for the items to be returned. She does not hold the website responsible.
"You can't blame Craigslist for that. Craigslist isn't the one who did it; it was the person," she said. "I really hope that there are some good people out there, and whoever did this made an honest mistake."
A few residents say a woman driving a white car with some of her kids might have taken the items. The request: bring the things back, no questions asked.
Many of the people living at the Lynnwood Country Club Apartments don't have a lot of money. But they came together over the weekend to have a yard sale and make a few bucks.
In the end, they ended up losing out. And now there isn't much left in the recreation room of the apartment complex. A place where neighbors go to gather is now missing a lot.
"They took very expensive end tables, over 30 DVDs, a DVD player, a color television set," said apartment manager Karen Cunningham. "It's just empty. It's just totally empty."
On Saturday, the room was packed with things to sell at the yard sale. The sale itself was a success.
After the sale, Cunningham posted an ad on Craigslist, offering up the leftover items for free. Her posted instructed interested parties to simply contact her, and bring a donated food item for the local food bank.
But instead of contacting Cunningham, someone apparently drove to the posted address on Sunday, found the unlocked door to the recreation room, and took whatever they wanted.
"They took all my folding tables," Cunningham said. "I had six folding tables leaning up against the wall. I had six folding tables."
The overall loss is taking a toll.
"Being on a fixed income, it's going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to replace this," Cunningham said.
The apartment manager has posted new ads on Craigslist, pleading for the items to be returned. She does not hold the website responsible.
"You can't blame Craigslist for that. Craigslist isn't the one who did it; it was the person," she said. "I really hope that there are some good people out there, and whoever did this made an honest mistake."
A few residents say a woman driving a white car with some of her kids might have taken the items. The request: bring the things back, no questions asked.