MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Police have arrested a man in air conditioning unit thefts after a contractor placed trackers in the appliances.
Chris Pierce, Head of Renovations with Foundation Property Management, said one of the units stolen from a rental property was tracked to a home on Goldie Avenue in Berclair.
Once Pierce arrived there, he says he found his air conditioning unit and many more, wedged in between cars or in the backyard.
Officers arrived and placed the homeowner, Miguel Alba, 67, in custody. Alba is charged with theft over $2,500.
“I just think the system being broken just keeps this stuff happening,” Pierce said. “They have to stop letting these guys back out of jail.”
Pierce has been the victim of crime before, and said this is the last straw for him. WREG spoke to him in April , when one of his properties had been vandalized.
He discovered rooms full of wet paint, shattered glass and kicked-in walls. At that time, Pierce said most of the 75 properties he managed dealt with vandalism and theft at least three to four times a week.